Starbucks Faces Scrutiny as CEO’s Pay Is 6,666 Times That of the Median Barista

Starbucks (SBUX) CEO Brian Niccol made $95.8 million in 2024. The average barista made just $14,674. 

That’s a ratio of 6,666-to-1, the largest CEO-to-worker pay gap among S&P 500 companies, according to a new report from the Institute for Policy Studies. While Niccol ranked fourth in CEO compensation last year, the coffeehouse chain’s employees earned less on average than all but two S&P 500 firms. In fact, $14,674 is almost $1,000 less than the federal poverty level for an individual in 2025.

Niccol’s base salary is $1.6 million, and he earned just $61,538 in salary during his roughly four months on the job in 2024, according to a Starbucks proxy statement. He also received a $5 million bonus after a month at the company. Nearly all his remaining compensation came in the form of restricted stock units, 60% of which are tied to Starbucks’ share performance and the rest of which vest in three-year intervals, the filing noted. The company said the awards are meant to replace equity Niccol held as CEO of Chipotle (CMG) that he forfeited by taking the Starbucks job.

A year into Niccol’s tenure, Starbucks’ stock is down 6%. 

A Year of ‘Back to Starbucks’

The focus of Niccol’s first year has been “Back to Starbucks,” a turnaround plan that has emphasized speed of service and a return to the company’s coffeehouse roots. It has also rankled many employees. In a recent survey of Starbucks workers, 93% said the policy changes had either no effect on or worsened the customer experience, and 91% reported understaffing at their stores.

Starbucks remains in contract negotiations with Workers United, a union representing about 12,000 baristas across more than 640 unionized stores. Tensions flared earlier this year when about 1,000 Starbucks workers at 75 locations went on strike after the company implemented a new dress code and changed its enforcement policy without first negotiating with the union. The move was an attempt at “undermining the union’s representational status,” the group wrote in a complaint filed with federal regulators.

The Bottom Line

The ratio of Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol’s pay to the median barista last year was 6,666-to-1, larger than any other S&P 500 company. His $1.6 million base salary is dwarfed by about $90.3 million in stock awards, which vest either according to Starbucks’ share performance or in three-year intervals. By contrast, the median barista’s $14,674 income is below the federal poverty level in 2025.