Wading into treacherous survey waters, again, we see that a Salary.com survey finds that CEOs of businesses with 500 or fewer employees get higher cash compensation around here than nationwide, where the median was $233,500 last year. It concludes that in New Jersey, small-company chiefs got a median of $249,359; in Pennsylvania, they got $240,000; in Delaware, they got the most, $259,000. Considering the arms race of CEO compensation, Salary.com urges small companies to lure good CEOs with "noncash" benefits. So says its survey director, Christine Midwood:
"As companies grow, so do the responsibilities and paychecks of their executives. To attract and retain the best talent, it's important for smaller companies with smaller budgets to emphasize non-cash advantages such as company equity or work/life balance."
But who knows, maybe the small-timers already get a lot of non-cash perks. You won't find out from Salary.com's survey, because it doesn't seem to count them.
