Compared to other states, “Pennsylvania pretty much takes the cake” when it comes to paying its politicians, a new study finds.
Pennsylvania’s governor, currently Tom Wolf, earns an annual salary of $187,818 , the highest among the 50 states. State representatives come in second-highest, at an average annual salary of $85,338.65, California career site Zippia has discovered.
Wolf donates his salary to charity.
The study does not mention what year’s figures were used in the report, although the governor’s salary was $187,818 in 2014, Tom Corbett’s last full year as governor. Wolf became governor in January 2015.
The figures for governors’ salaries came from the website BallotPedia, Zippia’s report said.
But “since this is an election year, and wage gaps have been talked about endlessly, we thought it might be something interesting and fun to share,” said Kristy Crane, Zippia’s public relations manager.
The study can be found here.
“No matter the office, being a politician sounds exhausting,” Zippia author Chris Kolmar writes in the report. “And if you’re thinking, ‘Yeah, sure, but they get paid a ton,’ well, you’re right—and also, completely wrong in some cases. It varies completely from state to state.”
California had the highest average pay for its state representatives, $97,197, while Pennsylvania was second at $85,339, with New York third at $79,500.
Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, “they are literally paid $100 per year. Yes, you read that correctly,” Kolmar said.
These are states with the highest politician salaries, according to Zippia:
1. Pennsylvania
2. Ohio
3. Tennessee
4. Michigan
5. West Virginia
Other states’ governor’s salaries are: New York, third ($179,000); New Jersey, fifth ($175,000); Delaware, eighth ($171,000); West Virginia and Maryland, tied for 12th ($150,000); and Ohio, 17th ($148,886).
Here’s the average salary for state representatives in states bordering the Keystone State: New York, third, $79,500; Ohio, ninth, $60,584; Maryland, 10th, $58,257; New Jersey, 13th, $49,000; Delaware, 15th, $44,541; and West Virginia, 29th, $27,860.
