Carcass wrote:
At Megalomania Industries, factory workers were paid $20 per hour in 1990 and $10 per hour in 2000. The CEO of Megalomania Industries was paid $5 million per year in 1990 and $50 million per year in 2000. The percent increase in the pay of Megalomania’s CEO from 1990 to 2000 was what percent greater than the percent the decrease in the hourly pay of Megalomania’s factory workers over the same period?
A) 850%
B) 900%
C) 950%
D) 1,700%
E) 1,900%
First, let’s calculate the percent decrease for the workers, using the formula (New - Old)/Old x 100:
(10 - 20)/20 x 100 = 50% decrease
Next we calculate the percent increase for the CEO:
(50,000,000 - 5,000,000)/5,000,000 x 100
45,000,000/5,000,000 x 100
9 x 100 = 900% increase
Thus:
(900 - 50)/50 x 100
850/50 x 100 = 1700%
Answer: D