Salaries for state executive officials hold steady in 2014
December 16, 2014
By Nick Katers
Ten governors earned higher salaries in 2014 than 2013, according to a Ballotpedia analysis of the 2014 Book of the States produced by the Council of State Governments. Improved salaries split evenly between the two major parties with five Democratic governors and five Republican governors receiving raises.
These governors were among the 45 governors, lieutenant governors, attorneys general and secretaries of state to receive pay raises in 2014. This total equaled 23.8 percent of the 189 officeholders in these four positions. Eight officeholders (4.2 percent) received lower salaries in 2014 while salaries held steady for the remaining 136 officials (72 percent).[1] Republican officeholders received the majority of raises in 2014, with 29 GOP executives earning higher pay compared to 16 Democratic executives.
Salary changes for the top four state executive offices followed a similar pattern in 2013. Forty-two executive officials (22.2 percent) received higher salaries in 2013 compared to 2012 while eight officials (4.2 percent) received lower salaries. There were 139 executive officials (73.6 percent) who experienced no changes in their salaries from 2012 to 2013.[2]
Quick facts
Here are a few quick facts about state executive salary changes in 2014:
- Eight governors did not accept their salaries or accepted reduced salaries in 2014. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) bypassed his salary in 2013 and 2014, noting that he would not accept a salary until his state achieved full employment. Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) only accepted 12 cents of his salary, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) collected $1 of his salary and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) returned his 2014 salary to the state. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) (10 percent), New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) (5 percent), Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) (1.7 percent) and Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) (3 percent) all accepted salary reductions noted in parentheses.[3]
- The biggest salary increase in 2014 was the $50,000 raise received by Oklahoma Secretary of State Chris Benge. Benge was among 48 state officials to receive raises in the wake of a 2013 review of state official salaries by the Oklahoma Office of Management & Enterprise Services. His predecessor, Larry Parman (R), earned $90,000 in 2013 while Benge earned $140,000 in 2014, representing a 55.6 percent raise.[4]
- The governors who received higher salaries in 2014 than 2013 were: Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D), Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (R), Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D), New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan (D), North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple (R), Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D), Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R), South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R), Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) and Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D).[1]
- Four states increased salaries for all officeholders in the top four state executive offices in 2014: Idaho, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.[1]
Salary details for top four state executive offices
Note: The highlighted cells in the table below indicate salary increases from 2013 and salary decreases from 2013. A cell with N/A indicates a position that does not exist or information was not available.
| State executive salaries, 2014 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Governor salary ($) | Change from 2013 (%) | Lieutenant governor salary ($) | Change from 2013 (%) | Attorney general salary ($) | Change from 2013 (%) | Secretary of state salary ($) | Change from 2013 (%) |
| Alabama | 0¹ | - | 68,556 | -49.1 | 166,002 | +3.8 | 85,248 | - |
| Alaska | 145,000 | - | 115,000 | - | 136,350 | +1 | N/A | - |
| Arizona | 95,000 | - | N/A | - | 90,000 | - | 70,000 | - |
| Arkansas | 86,890 | - | 41,896 | - | 72,408 | - | 54,305 | - |
| California | 173,987 | - | 130,490 | - | 151,127 | - | 130,490 | - |
| Colorado | 90,000 | - | 68,500 | - | 80,000 | - | 68,500 | - |
| Connecticut | 150,000 | - | 110,000 | - | 110,000 | - | 110,000 | - |
| Delaware | 171,000 | - | 78,553 | - | 145,207 | - | 127,590 | - |
| Florida | 130,273 | - | 124,851 | - | 128,972 | - | 140,000 | - |
| Georgia | 139,339 | - | 91,609 | - | 137,791 | - | 130,690 | +5.7 |
| Hawaii | 143,748 | +22.5 | 140,220 | +22.5 | 140,220 | +22.5 | N/A | - |
| Idaho | 119,000 | +1.7 | 35,700 | +1.7 | 107,100 | +1.7 | 101,150 | +1.7 |
| Illinois | 177,412 | - | 135,669 | - | 156,541 | - | 156,541 | - |
| Indiana | 111,688 | - | 88,543 | +3.1 | 92,503 | +3.1 | 76,892 | +3.1 |
| Iowa | 130,000 | - | 103,212 | - | 123,669 | - | 103,212 | - |
| Kansas | 99,636 | - | 54,000 | - | 98,901 | - | 86,003 | - |
| Kentucky | 138,012 | -10.4 | 117,329 | +1.5 | 117,329 | +1.5 | 117,329 | +1.5 |
| Louisiana | 130,000 | - | 115,000 | - | 115,000 | - | 115,000 | - |
| Maine | 70,000 | - | N/A² | - | 92,248 | - | 69,264 | - |
| Maryland | 150,000 | - | 125,000 | - | 125,000 | - | 87,500 | - |
| Massachusetts | 151,800 | +9.3 | N/A | - | 130,582 | -2.3 | 130,262 | - |
| Michigan | 159,300 | - | 111,510 | - | 112,410 | - | 112,410 | - |
| Minnesota | 119,850 | -0.4 | 77,896 | -0.4 | 113,859 | -0.4 | 89,877 | -0.4 |
| Mississippi | 122,160 | - | 60,000 | - | 108,960 | - | 90,000 | - |
| Missouri | 133,821 | - | 86,484 | - | 116,437 | - | 107,746 | - |
| Montana | 108,167 | - | 86,362 | - | 115,817 | +11.3 | 88,099 | +2.4 |
| Nebraska | 105,000 | - | 75,000 | - | 95,000 | - | 85,000 | - |
| Nevada | 149,573 | - | 63,648 | - | 141,086 | - | 102,898 | - |
| New Hampshire | 121,896 | +7.1 | N/A² | - | 117,913 | +7.1 | 105,930 | +1.5 |
| New Jersey | 175,000 | - | 141,000 | - | 141,000 | - | N/A | - |
| New Mexico | 110,000 | - | 85,000 | - | 95,000 | - | 85,000 | - |
| New York | 179,000 | - | 151,500 | - | 151,500 | - | 120,800 | - |
| North Carolina | 141,265 | - | 124,676 | - | 124,676 | - | 124,676 | - |
| North Dakota | 121,679 | +4 | 94,461 | +4 | 143,685 | +4 | 96,794 | +4 |
| Ohio | 148,886 | - | 78,041 | - | 109,986 | - | 109,986 | +0.4 |
| Oklahoma | 147,000 | - | 114,713 | - | 132,825 | -0.2 | 140,000 | +55.6 |
| Oregon | 98,600 | +5.3 | N/A | - | 82,220 | +6.5 | 76,992 | +6.9 |
| Pennsylvania | 187,818 | +0.3 | 157,765 | +0.3 | 156,264 | +0.3 | 135,228 | +0.3 |
| Rhode Island | 129,210 | - | 108,808 | - | 115,610 | - | 108,808 | - |
| South Carolina | 106,078 | - | 46,545 | - | 92,007 | - | 92,007 | - |
| South Dakota | 104,002 | +3 | 63,654 | +3 | 103,892 | +3 | 83,135 | +3 |
| Tennessee | 181,980 | +2.1 | N/A² | - | 176,988 | +2.1 | 190,260 | +1.5 |
| Texas | 150,000 | - | 7,200 | - | 150,000 | - | 125,880 | - |
| Utah | 109,470 | - | 104,000 | - | 98,509 | - | N/A | - |
| Vermont | 145,538 | +2.1 | 61,776 | +2.1 | 113,901 | - | 95,139 | - |
| Virginia | 175,000 | - | 36,321 | - | 150,000 | - | 152,793 | - |
| Washington | 166,891 | - | 93,948 | - | 151,718 | - | 116,950 | - |
| West Virginia | 150,000 | - | N/A² | - | 95,000 | - | 95,000 | - |
| Wisconsin | 144,423 | - | 76,261 | - | 140,147 | - | 68,566 | - |
| Wyoming | 105,000 | - | N/A | - | 147,000 | +2.6 | 92,000 | - |
¹The Governor of Alabama did not accept a salary because the state did not reach full employment (5.2 percent unemployment).
²Maine, New Hampshire, Tennessee and West Virginia give the title of lieutenant governor to the current president or speaker of the state Senate.
See also
- Compensation of state executive officers
- Comparison of gubernatorial salaries
- Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries," June 25, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "How much each state’s governor gets paid," October 22, 2014
- ↑ News 9, "Large Pay Raises For State Agency Directors Draws Criticism," October 23, 2014
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