There’s a move afoot in the Legislature to hike the salaries of the state’s six constitutional officers, who are now laboring at pay rates set six years ago. So CommonWealth set out to find how Massachusetts measures up, salary-wise, as a place to be chief executive of state government. It turns out that gubernatorial salaries, as set by statute, have become a fast-moving target. As other states have given their top officials a raise, Massachusetts has slipped from 26th in the nation in governor’s compensation less than two years ago to 36th today. And that’s not counting such perks as an executive residence-enjoyed by all but three other governors-or a lavish entertainment and travel account (New Jersey’s Christine Todd Whitman gets a $75,000 kitty). Comparing lieutenant governor salaries, Massachusetts fares better: 14th out of the 42 states that have the post.

 

Governors’ Salaries and Perks
Rank State Salary Automobile Airplane Helicopter Residence
1. New York $179,000 Y Y Y Y
2. California $141,936 Y — — Y
3. Michigan $138,757 Y Y Y Y
4. Illinois $132,867 Y Y Y Y
5. Pennsylvania $132,426 Y Y — Y
6. New Jersey $130,000 Y — Y Y
7. Virginia $124,855 Y Y Y Y
8. Washington $121,000 Y Y — Y
9. Minnesota $120,303 Y Y Y Y
10. Maryland $120,000 Y Y Y Y
11. Ohio $119,235 Y Y Y Y
12. Nevada $117,000 Y Y — Y
13. Texas $115,345 Y Y Y Y
14. Florida $114,047 Y Y — Y
15. North Carolina $113,656 Y Y Y Y
16. Missouri $112,755 Y Y — Y
17. Georgia $111,480 Y Y Y Y
18. Delaware $107,000 Y Y Y Y
19. South Carolina $106,078 Y Y Y Y
20. Iowa $104,352 Y Y — Y
21. Wisconsin $101,860 Y Y — Y
22. Mississippi $101,800 Y Y Y Y
23. Oklahoma $101,000 Y Y — Y
24. Kentucky $97,068 Y Y Y Y
25. Arizona $95,000 Y Y — —
25. Louisiana $95,000 Y — Y Y
25. Rhode Island $95,000 Y Y Y —
25. Wyoming $95,000 Y Y — Y
29. Hawaii $94,780 Y — — Y
30. Alabama $94,655 Y Y Y Y
31. Utah $93,000 Y Y — Y
32. Idaho $92,500 Y Y — Y
33. Kansas $91,742 Y Y — Y
34. New Hampshire $90,547 Y Y — Y
35. Colorado $90,000 Y Y — Y
36. Massachusetts $90,000 Y — Y —
36. New Mexico $90,000 Y Y Y Y
36. West Virginia $90,000 Y Y Y Y
39. South Dakota $89,898 Y Y — Y
40. Oregon $88,300 Y — — Y
41. Vermont $88,026 Y — — —
42. Tennessee $85,000 Y Y Y Y
43. Montana $83,672 Y Y Y Y
44. Alaska $81,648 Y — — Y
45. Connecticut $78,000 Y — — Y
46. Indiana $77,000 Y Y Y Y
47. North Dakota $76,879 Y Y — Y
48. Maine $70,000 Y — — Y
49. Arkansas $68,448 Y — — Y
50. Nebraska $65,000 Y Y Y Y
U.S. Average $102,258

 

Lieutenant Governors
Rank State Salary
1. New York $151,500
2. California $123,750
3. Florida $109,245
4. Pennsylvania $111,204
5. Illinois $107,160
6. North Carolina $100,310
7. Maryland $100,000
8. Michigan $97,267
9. Hawaii $90,041
10. Louisiana $85,000
11. Kentucky $82,521
12. Rhode Island $80,000
13. Alaska $76,188
14. Massachusetts $75,000
15. Iowa $73,047
16. Georgia $72,812
17. Utah $72,300
18. Connecticut $71,000
19. Oklahoma $70,000
20. Colorado $68,500
21. Missouri $68,188
22. Minnesota $66,169
23. Ohio $65,500
24. South Dakota $65,270
25. New Mexico $65,000
26. Indiana $64,000
27. North Dakota $63,200
28. Washington $62,700
29. Wisconsin $60,182
30. Montana $58,961
31. Nevada $50,000
32. Alabama $48,620
33. Delaware $47,900
34. Nebraska $47,000
35. South Carolina $44,737
36. Mississippi $40,800
37. Vermont $40,289
38. Virginia $36,321
39. Arkansas $33,083
40. Kansas $25,949
41. Idaho $24,500
42. Texas $7,200 *
43. Arizona (a)
Oregon (a)
Wyoming (a)
Maine (b)
New Hampshire (b)
New Jersey (b)
Tennessee (b)
West Virginia (b)
U.S. Average $70,615**

* plus $95 per diem during legislative session.
**Texas not included in average

Key: (a) Secretary of State functions as lieutenant governor.
(b) Presidents (or Speakers) of the Senate are next in line of succession to the governorship. (In Tennessee, the Speaker of the Senate has statutory title of lieutenant governor.)

Sources: Salaries are from a CommonWealth survey of the 50 states. Governor’s perks are from 1998 survey by Council of State Governments and The Book of the States, 1998-99.