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.
#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
#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
#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
#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
#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
#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
#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
#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
#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
#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
