America's 10 Highest-Paid CEOs of 2011 (and How They Earned It)

For the past few years, corporate compensation has been a major point of contention between Wall Street and Main Street. CEO paychecks have continued to explode, even while millions of workers have been making do with less.

This year was no exception: the average CEO of an S&P 500 company brings home almost $13 million, as much money as 383 average households. The head of an average public company overall raked in a slightly less impressive $9.6 million. The Associated Press' list of the 10 highest-paid CEOs highlights where the big paychecks go -- and what America's companies are getting in return.

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Bruce Watson is a senior features writer for DailyFinance. You can reach him by e-mail at bruce.watson@teamaol.com, or follow him on Twitter at@bruce1971.