If your 2025 raise felt a little light, you are not alone. Raleigh-area public-company chiefs collected some truly jaw-dropping pay packages last year. The Triangle’s single top-paid public-company CEO hauled in about $25 million in total compensation, and the region’s public-company leaders together reported roughly $192 million. Much of that headline money arrived in the form of stock awards or one-time grants that can bulk up a single year’s tally, widening an already stark gap with typical local wages as the region’s economy keeps booming.
According to Triangle Business Journal, the ranking, built from companies’ 2025 proxy filings, covered 27 local public-company executives and featured seven CEOs who crossed the $10 million mark. The outlet reports that the top earner alone landed roughly $25 million in total 2025 compensation, while the group as a whole notched about $192 million in reported pay…