Women helm just a fraction of the biggest companies, but what they lack in numbers, they more than make up for in performance.

Fortune magazine reports that only 51 companies in the Fortune 1000 are led by female CEOs. Twenty-four of them run Fortune 500 businesses, which is an all-time high. As recently as 1998, only two Fortune 500 companies were led by women.

No. 7 General Motors is the highest ranked Fortune 500 member with a woman running things: Mary Barra. Under her leadership, GM made $155 billion last year.

Although they’re in charge of only 5% of corporate giants, their companies generate 7% of the Fortune 1000’s total revenue, according to the magazine.

More importantly, female-run Fortune 1000 operations produced an average return of 103.4% while in charge, compared to an average 69.5% return for the S&P 500 stock index over the same periods.

Women aren’t seeing the benefit of their management prowess, however. Female CEOs made less than 80% of what male CEOs made in 2013, according to Think Progress.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Women CEOs in the Fortune 1000: By the Numbers (by Caroline Fairchild, Fortune)

Companies with Female CEOs Beat the Stock Market (by Bryce Covert, Think Progress)

Women CEOs of the Fortune 1000 (Catalyst)

Little Progress for Women Execs in California’s Top Corporations (by Ken Broder, AllGov California)