The median pay for chief executive officers in 2006 rose 9.3% from the prior year, marking the second consecutive year of slowed compensation growth, according to a preliminary survey of CEO compensation released on Monday.
CEO compensation rose 16% in 2005 and 30% in the prior year, according to the study by governance research group The Corporate Library.
"The survey showed an almost 10% rise in pay, which is pretty high, but not as high as in prior years," said The Corporate Library's Paul Hodgson, who wrote the report.
"This is the first year we have seen possible single digit increases since 2002," he said.
The survey covered more than 1,000 large U.S. corporations and was based on data from proxies filed through March 23, 2007.