This Map Reveals How Much Every US Governor Makes

how much governors make
New York governor Andrew Cuomo. | a katz / Shutterstock.com
New York governor Andrew Cuomo. | a katz / Shutterstock.com

Using data from the nonpartisan voting information site Ballotpedia, HowMuch.net has put together a map showing the base salary of every US governor. Each state is colored by the governor's party affiliation, blue for Democrat, red for Republican, and green for the lone independent governor in Alaska.

The cost of living differs from state to state, but the gaps in pay between states is pretty significant when you extrapolate the governor's annual salary over a full term. Governors serve four-year terms in every state except for Vermont and New Hampshire where the terms last two years. As HowMuch.net notes, the gap between the highest paid governor, Pennsylvania's Tom Wolf ($187,818), and the lowest paid, Maine's Paul LePage ($70,000) is big. It puts that gap in a different perspective when it's taken over a full term. Wolf's salary over four years is $471,272 more than LePage's.

In that example, it's worth noting that Wolf, who was a wealthy businessman before being elected governor in 2014, donates his entire salary to charity.

Take a look at salaries across the nation below.

how much governors make
HowMuch.net

Here's a look at the top five highest governor salaries in the US.

1. Pennsylvania: Tom Wolf (D) — $187,818
2. Tennessee: Bill Haslam (R) — $181,980
3. New York: Andrew Cuomo (D) — $179,000
4. Illinois: Bruce Rauner (R) — $177,412
5. New Jersey: Phil Murphy (D)/Virginia: Ralph Northam (D) — $175,000

And here are the five lowest.

1. Maine: Paul LePage (R) — $70,000
2. Arkansas: Asa Hutchinson (R) — $86,890
3. Colorado: John Hickenlooper (D) — $90,000
4. Arizona: Doug Ducey (R) — $95,000
5. Oregon: Kate Brown (D) — $98,600

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Dustin Nelson is a News Writer with Thrillist. He holds a Guinness World Record but has never met the fingernail lady. Follow him @dlukenelson.