Politics

States that pay their politicians the most

Written by:
Andrew Lisa
September 11, 2018
Bob Pool // Shutterstock

States that pay their politicians the most

Depending on the position, a politician can stand to make a good living. If you're planning to get rich on a politician's salary, however, stay away from Maine. Their state representatives earn salaries that put them just above the federal poverty line. In other states, a single term in office would result in a pretty hefty financial haul.

Stacker ranked the most lucrative states for politicians in ascending order, using data from BallotPedia for governor salaries and data from Zippia for state representative salaries. Governor salaries are straightforward and to the point.

The path to determining state representative wages, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated. Their pay is a combination of base pay, which is estimated for 40 out of 50 states, plus per diems according to an average congressional session length—which is the period of time the representative actually spends working. When there was a wage discrepancy between a senator and representative, the lower number was used.

It's also worth noting that every state pays their representatives differently according to measures that can vary wildly immensely. Read on to find out just how many taxpayer-funded dollars your state pays its politicians.

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#50. Maine

Governor wage: $70,000
State representative wage: $14,100

#49. Arkansas

Governor wage: $86,890
State representative wage: $46,150

#48. Colorado

Governor wage: $90,000
State representative wage: $41,880

#47. Arizona

Governor wage: $95,000
State representative wage: $28,200

#46. Oregon

Governor wage: $98,600
State representative wage: $34,920

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#45. Kansas

Governor wage: $99,636
State representative wage: $9,315

#44. South Dakota

Governor wage: $104,002
State representative wage: $11,160

#43. Wyoming

Governor wage: $105,000
State representative wage: $7,770

#42. Nebraska

Governor wage: $105,000
State representative wage: $21,675

#41. South Carolina

Governor wage: $106,078
State representative wage: $10,400

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#40. Montana

Governor wage: $108,167
State representative wage: $8,730

#39. Utah

Governor wage: $109,470
State representative wage: $16,785

#38. New Mexico

Governor wage: $110,000
State representative wage: $7,425

#37. Indiana

Governor wage: $111,688
State representative wage: $38,180

#36. Idaho

Governor wage: $119,000
State representative wage: $16,684

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#35. Minnesota

Governor wage: $119,850
State representative wage: $39,541

#34. Alabama

Governor wage: $119,950
State representative wage: $42,849

#33. North Dakota

Governor wage: $121,679
State representative wage: $8,280

#32. New Hampshire

Governor wage: $121,896
State representative wage: $100

#31. Mississippi

Governor wage: $122,160
State representative wage: $22,513

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#30. Rhode Island

Governor wage: $129,210
State representative wage: $15,171

#29. Louisiana

Governor wage: $130,000
State representative wage: $30,600

#28. Iowa

Governor wage: $130,000
State representative wage: $40,540

#27. Florida

Governor wage: $130,273
State representative wage: $37,437

#26. Missouri

Governor wage: $133,821
State representative wage: $35,915

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#25. Kentucky

Governor wage: $138,012
State representative wage: $14,850

#24. Georgia

Governor wage: $139,339
State representative wage: $24,262

#23. North Carolina

Governor wage: $141,265
State representative wage: $13,951

#22. Hawaii

Governor wage: $143,748
State representative wage: $68,004

#21. Wisconsin

Governor wage: $144,423
State representative wage: $50,950

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#20. Alaska

Governor wage: $145,000
State representative wage: $70,470

#19. Vermont

Governor wage: $145,538
State representative wage: $14,712

#18. Oklahoma

Governor wage: $147,000
State representative wage: $38,400

#17. Ohio

Governor wage: $148,886
State representative wage: $60,584

#16. Nevada

Governor wage: $149,573
State representative wage: $23,400

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#15. Texas

Governor wage: $150,000
State representative wage: $20,500

#14. West Virginia

Governor wage: $150,000
State representative wage: $27,860

#13. Connecticut

Governor wage: $150,000
State representative wage: $28,000

#12. Maryland

Governor wage: $150,000
State representative wage: $58,257

#11. Massachusetts

Governor wage: $151,800
State representative wage: $64,533

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#10. Michigan

Governor wage: $159,300
State representative wage: $71,685

#9. Washington

Governor wage: $166,891
State representative wage: $51,706

#8. Delaware

Governor wage: $171,000
State representative wage: $44,541

#7. California

Governor wage: $173,987
State representative wage: $97,197

#6. Virginia

Governor wage: $175,000
State representative wage: $26,100

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#5. New Jersey

Governor wage: $175,000
State representative wage: $49,000

#4. Illinois

Governor wage: $177,412
State representative wage: $67,836

#3. New York

Governor wage: $179,000
State representative wage: $79,500

#2. Tennessee

Governor wage: $181,980
State representative wage: $38,704

#1. Pennsylvania

Governor wage: $187,818
State representative wage: $85,339

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