CEO pay vs. average pay: Ever higher ... 2004, 431-to-1 -- 2003, 301-to-1 -- 2001, 525-to-1 -- 1990, 107-to-1 -- 1982, 42-to-1

CEO pay: Redefining sky-high - Aug. 30, 2005: "August 30, 2005: 12:24 PM EDT | By Jeanne Sahadi, CNN/Money senior writer

A new report shows top-dog pay bites shareholders, and alleges war profiteering among some CEOs.

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) � If sky-high executive pay at publicly traded companies gives you vertigo, you might want to read this sitting down.

In 2004, the ratio of average CEO pay to the average pay of a production (i.e., non-management) worker was 431-to-1, up from 301-to-1 in 2003, according to 'Executive Excess,' an annual report released Tuesday by the liberal research groups United for a Fair Economy and the Institute for Policy Studies.

That's not the highest ever. In 2001, the ratio of CEO-to-worker pay hit a peak of 525-to-1.

Still, it's quite a leap year over year, and it ranks on the high end historically. In 1990, for instance, CEOs made about 107 times more than the average worker, while in 1982, the average CEO made only 42 times more.