What Recession? Top 10 Highest Paid CEOs

What recession?

That is what some CEOs may have said after they received their pay in the last year. In this economy, many Americans are struggling to make ends meet, facing foreclosure and unemployment, but CEOs are still bringing home the bacon. The median pay for CEOs in 2010 jumped 27 percent from 2009 levels, according to USA Today, and it has nearly approached pre-recession levels. Meanwhile, average worker pay over that same period increased only 2.1 percent.

The rise in executive compensation has led to a growing wealth divide in America. In 1980, the average CEO of an S&P 500 company made 42 times that of the median worker income, according to a study by Harvard University. That number has now swelled to 343 times of median pay.

For these CEOs, salaries are only a small fraction of total compensation. Rather, stock and options awards make up the majority of pay.

Here are the top 10 highest compensated CEOs in the United States, or in others, a list of the CEOs most likely to say, What Recession?