Walmart CEO earns Rs 2,475,000,000 annually: Doug McMillon makes an average American’s salary in just 20 hours and $1,563 during a single commute

At a time when millions of Americans are struggling to keep pace with the rising cost of living, some of the top CEOs in America are collecting eye-watering compensation with some earning more in a single day than the average US worker does in a year. Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, earned about $27.5 million in total compensation in his final year, reports Fortune. The leader of America’s largest private employer can even snatch up a home in less than one workweek, the report suggests. McMillon has led the $905-billion retail giant since 2011 and is set to retire at the end of this month. His $27.5 million compensation included a $1.5 million salary, $20.4 million in stock awards, and $4.4 million in non-equity incentive pay—allowing him to exit on a financial high.

Doug McMillon's journey at Walmart

The $27.5 million compensation of Doug McMillon is a sharp contrast with his beginnings at the retail giant. McMillon started working at Walmart's warehouses in the summer in 1984 unloading trailers for $6.50 an hour and today as CEO, he makes an average of $3,127 an hour—about 481 times more. In just one minute, he makes roughly $52, and in less than 20 hours, he out-earns the average US worker’s annual income of about $62,088, based on 2025 first-quarter wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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While many Americans spend decades saving for a home, McMillon can afford one in under a week. It takes him just 5.85 working days to earn the median US home price of $439,000, according to Resume.ai’s CEO salary tool. Even during a typical 30-minute commute, his wealth grows by about $1,563—nearly a dollar added to his bank account every second.


A lifelong merchant, he began his Walmart career in 1984 as an hourly associate, picking orders and unloading trailers in a Walmart warehouse. Doug has since served in senior leadership roles across each business segment. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas and an MBA from the University of Tulsa. Walmart announced Doug McMillon’s retirement in November 2025.

Other CEOs who get record-breaking salaries

McMillon is just one of many CEOs drawing attention for their eye-popping pay packages. Late last year, Tesla chief and the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, locked in a controversial $1 trillion compensation deal at the electric-vehicle maker, reigniting debate over the widening wealth gap between the world’s richest executives and ordinary workers.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook also ranks high on the pay scale. The head of the $3.8 trillion tech giant earned $74.6 million in 2024, an 18% jump from $63.2 million the previous year. At that rate, Cook out-earns the average American worker in just about seven hours and can afford a median-priced U.S. home in roughly 2.15 days. Yet even he is not the highest-paid CEO among major publicly listed U.S. companies. That distinction goes to Rick Smith, CEO of defense-tech firm Axon, valued at $45.5 billion, who took home a staggering $164.5 million, according to an analysis by Equilar.

Still, some companies are making efforts to share success more broadly with employees. Samsung last year announced a new three-year incentive program that will reward workers based on the company’s stock performance from October 2025 through October 2028, Bloomberg reported. Under the plan, employees can choose to receive up to half of their payout in company shares rather than cash. Before this initiative, Samsung had only granted stock to employees once—when it distributed 30 shares per worker as part of a union agreement.