NOTABLE PAYCHECKS

Here’s how Arizona CEOs’ average compensation compares with other pay indicators and pay for selected local athletes: » Calais Campbell, Arizona Cardinals, $11 million. » Average U.S. CEO, $9.7 million. » Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns, $7.5 million. » Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks, $6.4 million. » Arizona corporate CEOs, $1.31 million. » Doctors/surgeons, $182,140. » Lawyers, $122,000. » Managers, $96,050. » Police/sheriff patrol officers, $58,590.

» Postal mail carriers, $52,940.

Elementary-school teachers, $42,800. » Electricians, $42,070. » Automotive mechanics, $41,760. » Legislators, $35,590. » Real-estate agents, $34,440. » Roofers, $31,810. » Bank tellers, $26,150. » Waiters/waitresses, $20,390. » Farmworkers/laborers, $19,490. » Fast-food cooks, $19,040. » Executive secretaries, $48,310. » Arizona pay average, 43,950. » er and his team engineered the purchase of American Airlines, a larger rival. Yet with a comparatively modest 2012 pay package of $3.32 million, Parker didn’t even crack the top 20 in Arizona.

Top executives fare well when their corporate stockmarket performance is on the upswing, and 2012 was a so-so year for that. Of the 39 Arizona companies whose shares traded throughout 2012, 21 gained ground, 17 slipped and one was flat. But if 2013’s strong market rally continues, executive-pay numbers should be substantially higher in next year’s report.

Incentives are ubiquitous for senior executives and sometimes extend down the ranks.

“We offer competitive pay and benefits to every employee, from entry level to senior executives,” said Alan Bunnell, a spokesman for Pinnacle West Capital Corp., parent of Arizona Public Service Co., which placed three executives among the top 15 in the state for overall compensation. Part of every employee’s compensation is tied to performance, he said, adding that Pinnacle West last year achieved rising revenue and profits, plus high measures for reliability and customer satisfaction.

Representatives of several prominent Arizona companies declined to comment for this year’s report.

Dissecting the numbers