The highest-paying states for legislators (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of legislators in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $92,360, New York is the highest paying state for legislators. It is followed by Puerto Rico (average annual salary $68,730). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2020 [1]. For more salary information of legislators in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $92,360 |
$74,990 | 6,310 |
| 2 | Puerto Rico | $68,730 |
$18,960 | 90 |
| 3 | Washington | $63,000 |
$26,350 | 940 |
| 4 | Hawaii | $59,600 |
$52,470 | 120 |
| 5 | California | $54,480 |
$31,400 | 3,190 |
| 6 | Colorado | $53,930 |
$21,820 | 710 |
| 7 | Alaska | $51,210 |
$31,600 | 180 |
| 8 | Maryland | $49,720 |
$21,340 | 650 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $48,260 |
$16,900 | 2,060 |
| 10 | Nevada | $47,180 |
$19,300 | 150 |
| 11 | Arizona | $46,170 |
$22,890 | 590 |
| 12 | South Dakota | $43,940 |
$32,490 | 100 |
| 13 | Oklahoma | $38,820 |
$16,940 | 870 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $38,320 |
$22,120 | 440 |
| 15 | Florida | $36,060 |
$18,440 | 1,260 |
| 16 | Texas | $34,320 |
$16,680 | 1,970 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $28,240 |
$16,620 | 60 |
| 18 | Montana | $27,940 |
$18,180 | 300 |
| 19 | Iowa | $27,520 |
$16,710 | 1,330 |
| 20 | Mississippi | $27,120 |
$16,740 | 150 |
| 21 | Tennessee | $26,260 |
$16,790 | 350 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $24,830 |
$16,710 | 650 |
| 23 | Oregon | $24,830 |
$22,890 | 180 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $22,290 |
$17,680 | 2,780 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $21,900 |
$20,520 | 1,450 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | $20,570 |
$20,550 | 60 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $20,500 |
$19,290 | 1,340 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $20,410 |
$19,190 | 680 |
| 29 | Michigan | $20,220 |
$19,790 | 2,500 |
| 30 | Illinois | $20,130 |
$18,180 | 3,410 |
| 31 | Indiana | $20,020 |
$16,340 | 1,650 |
| 32 | Ohio | $19,700 |
$18,080 | 2,300 |
| 33 | Missouri | $19,480 |
$17,260 | 1,250 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $19,180 |
$16,250 | 590 |
| 35 | Massachusetts | $19,150 |
$17,560 | 730 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $19,120 |
$16,800 | 500 |
| 37 | Arkansas | $19,110 |
$18,260 | 1,310 |
| 38 | Virginia | $19,040 |
$16,360 | 450 |
| 39 | Alabama | $18,880 |
$16,200 | 1,110 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $18,830 |
$16,400 | 2,520 |
| 41 | Utah | $18,440 |
$16,210 | 590 |
| 42 | Kansas | $18,230 |
$16,150 | 780 |
| 43 | Georgia | $18,110 |
$16,040 | 1,650 |
| 44 | New Hampshire | $17,970 |
$16,120 | 210 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $17,960 |
$15,990 | 740 |
| 46 | Idaho | $17,640 |
$16,480 | 360 |
Note: some states are missing from this table because the median salary information of legislators in those states is not available at this time.
See also: Highest-paying industries for legislators, Top paying jobs in America.