The governor of Georgia now draws a yearly salary of $175,000, the ninth-highest salary among the governors of the 50 states, according to recently reported financial data and media reports.
Based on the most recent numbers, the average U.S. governor’s salary stands at $144,046.
Either state constitutions or statutes determine the governors’ salaries, according to Ballotpeda.com. But salaries are only one part of the compensation provided to states’ chief executives since other benefits can include an official residence, insurance and travel subsidies.
In some states, salaries rise automatically every year based on the rate of inflation or a previously determined percentage. In other states, however, legislatures must approve pay hikes before they can take effect.
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Governor Salaries Among the 50 States, 2018-19
| State | 2018 Salary | 2018 Rank |
| California * | $210,000 | 1 |
| New York | $200,000 | 2 |
| Massachusetts | $195,970 | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | $194,850 | 4 |
| Tennessee | $194,112 | 5 |
| Washington | $183,072 | 6 |
| Vermont | $178,274 | 7 |
| Illinois | $177,412 | 8 |
| Georgia | $175,000 | 9 |
| New Jersey | $175,000 | 10 |
| Virginia | $175,000 | 11 |
| Delaware | $171,000 | 12 |
| Maryland | $170,000 | 13 |
| Nevada | $163,474 | 14 |
| Michigan | $159,300 | 15 |
| Hawaii | $158,700 | 16 |
| Texas | $153,750 | 17 |
| Ohio | $153,650 | 18 |
| Wisconsin | $152,756 | 19 |
| Connecticut | $150,000 | 20 |
| Utah | $150,000 | 21 |
| West Virginia | $150,000 | 22 |
| Kentucky | $148,781 | 23 |
| Arkansas | $148,134 | 24 |
| Oklahoma | $147,000 | 25 |
| Rhode Island | $145,755 | 26 |
| Alaska | $145,000 | 27 |
| North Carolina | $144,349 | 28 |
| Idaho | $138,302 | 29 |
| New Hampshire | $134,581 | 30 |
| Missouri | $133,821 | 31 |
| Florida | $130,273 | 32 |
| Iowa | $130,000 | 33 |
| Louisiana | $130,000 | 34 |
| North Dakota | $129,096 | 35 |
| Minnesota | $127,629 | 36 |
| Mississippi | $122,160 | 37 |
| Indiana | $121,331 | 38 |
| Alabama | $120,395 | 39 |
| Montana | $118,397 | 40 |
| South Dakota | $113,961 | 41 |
| New Mexico | $110,000 | 42 |
| South Carolina | $106,078 | 43 |
| Nebraska | $105,000 | 44 |
| Wyoming | $105,000 | 45 |
| Kansas | $99,636 | 46 |
| Oregon | $98,600 | 47 |
| Arizona | $95,000 | 48 |
| Colorado | $92,700 | 49 |
| Maine | $70,000 | 50 |
| U.S. average | $144,046 | — |
* as of December 2019
Source: Ballotpedia.org; media reports
