San Diego’s Irwin Mark Jacobs is No. 15 on the list of the decade’s top earners at publicly-traded companies, a Wall Street Journal analysis has found.

The Journal put the Qualcomm founder’s total realized compensation at $436.8 million for the period of 1999-2008. Jacobs served as Chairman of the Board of Directors from July 1985 to March 2009 and as Chief Executive Officer of the Company from July 1985 to June 2005.

For investors, Jacobs’ performance as CEO landed Qualcomm in the middle of the pack of the companies on the Journal’s list. An investor who bought $100 worth of Qualcomm shares wound up with $191.90 over that period.

The bulk of Jacobs’ compensation came in gains on stock options, which netted him $419.5 million.

Forbes estimates Jacobs’ total fortune at $1.6 billion, making him the 220th wealthiest American on the magazine’s annual ranking.

Topping the Journal’s list was the $1.84 billion realized by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.