Median employee pay: $23,980
Note: Best Buy had a better-than-expected year, with comparable sales rising 5.6 percent and online sales jumping 22 percent. It was also a year in which the Richfield-based chain officially declared the end to its Renew Blue turnaround and ushered in a new strategic growth phase called "Best Buy 2020: Building the New Blue." The company also made more progress in cutting costs, about $350 million in annualized savings, to fund investments.
In recognition of Best Buy's performance that outperformed some of its peers, the board gave Joly an 8.5 percent boost in his base salary. His total compensation of $22.5 million was up from $16.8 million the year before.