Pay Scale: State Senators

The recent election certainly changed the political landscape; while congressional power has shifted to the Democrats, all Senators and Congressmen are paid equally in Washington D.C., regardless of which state they represent.

However, that consistency does not exist on the state level. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures and their 2005 annual salary survey of lawmakers (in each of the 50 states), the pay rate for state senators and representatives differs from state to state. So if you’re thinking of running for office, you might want to do a salary comparison before taking the plunge.

Let's take a look at how the state senators' pay scale varies between Arkansas and California. In Arkansas, a lawmaker’s annual salary is a paltry $14,067; while in California, state senators and representatives are paid an annual salary of $110,880. If the work lawmakers do is proportional to the number of citizens, the Californians are getting a deal: each state senator in California costs each citizen 0.3 cents, while the price is 0.5 cents per lawmaker per citizen in Arkansas :-)

Is your salary closer to an Arkansas or California state senator? Find out with our exclusive PayScale salary survey.

Goin’ South with Salary Range

There is more interesting data in the 2005 salary survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures: Alabama State Senators and Representatives earn a measly annual salary of $10 per calendar day ($3,650/year), but the Crimson Tide lawmakers also get a monthly per diem of $2,280, or $76/day. Huh? is it not pay if it is called a per diem in Alabama? By the way, do they realize that "per diem" is Latin for "per day"? What's with the monthly "per diem"?

Strangely, Alabama lawmakers also earn $50 a day for the three days during each week of a legislative session that the legislature meets (confusing?). Adding all the per diems together, the pay is about $150 + 7*($76 + $10) = $752/week, or $39,100 for an annual salary, if the legislature met year round. However, the legislature only meets about 14 weeks a year; this is definitely not a high paying part-time job.

Per diems are a popular way to hide a wage increase, at least in the south: If we do a salary comparison with the Peach State, we find that Georgia State Senators and Representatives also earn a small annual salary of $16,524, but they also earn a per diem of $128 per day. That is $625.00 for a five day work week. If the legislature met year round, that would push the annual salary up to $49,000.

South vs. North, Salary Comparison

When comparing northern and southern states, the salary range is definitely higher up north. For instance, Michigan State Senators earn an annual salary of $79,650 per year, plus a $12,000 yearly expense allowance, which lifts their annual pay rate up to $91,650. That is quite a difference, in salary comparison, to Georgia State Senators. However, Michigan State Senators will spend more on mittens and have to dig their cars out of the snow.

The 2005 salary survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures says that South Dakota State Senators and Reps earn $12,000 for a two year term, which would be a poverty-stricken annual salary of $6000 per year. One bright note is that they do make a per diem of $110 a day. However, this is less than Georgia, and they probably will not be able to do any one a favor that will get them into the Masters and a cocktail party with Tiger Woods.

Atlantic Coast Salary Survey

North Carolina State Senators make a low annual salary of $13,951, but they have a daily per diem of $104, plus a monthly expense allowance of $559. North Carolina is not really completing on pay with Georgia for lawmakers. Instead, they are putting their money into their college basketball teams, and offering tickets to Wake Forest, UNC, NC State, or the crème de la crème, Duke games. The annualized pay rate to $44,059 won't make the lawmakers rich in cash, but the tickets will leave them rich in memories :-)

To state the obvious, there are other advantages to being a state senator. My former neighbor in North Carolina, Wib Gulley, had to trade in his state senator seat when he became general counsel for the local transit authority. Hum, I wonder how his name came up as a possible candidate. I am sure it is unconnected to his previous work as chairman of the senate transportation committee :-) To be fair, Wib was a successful private lawyer a decade ago when I knew him. He probably took a pay cut to become general counsel.

As usual, South Carolina is struggling to keep up with its richer neighbors. The state senators’ pay scale dips down in South Carolina; state lawmakers pull in a lowly annual salary of $10,400, and they get only $95 per day for meals and housing. Let's not even compare this with the northern end of the ACC, Maryland (salary: $40,500).

Go West for a High Salary Range

The National Conference of State Legislatures 2005 salary survey tells us that New Mexico lawmakers do not draw an annual salary, but are given a hefty per diem of $146 per day. In Oregon, a state lawmaker’s annual salary is $16,284, plus $91 per diem per working day, in the same ball park with Georgia and North Carolina.

California state lawmakers are the national big dogs, earning the highest annual salary of $110,880. They also rake in $138.00 per diem for each day that they’re in session. The only lawmakers that even come close to that pay rate are not actually in a state; the District of Columbia pays its lawmakers $92,500 per year (with no per diems), but this is more like a city council position than a state legislator one.

Does your pay fall within your state senators’ pay scale? Want to do a salary comparison? Find out with our salary survey.

Comments

[Ken]

Interesting topic. My 3cents worth. Let us start at the federal level. The current salary (2011) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year.

Current Senate Leadership
Majority Party Leader - $193,400
Minority Party Leader - $193,400

House Leadership
Speaker of the House - $223,500
Majority Leader - $193,400
Minority Leader - $193,400

A cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) increase takes effect annually unless Congress votes to not accept it. As of 21 Feb 2011, the Senate has been in session for a total of 16 days and the Congress a total of 19 days. The average american has worked a total of 36 days. Almost half of teh average american-if they work 1 job. Check the following link for an indepth look for the 112th Congress and Senate sessions: http://www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/cong_schedule.html

My personal opinion is to cap there saleries to that of the military or GS employee. I would go with the O3 paygrade along with there time in service pay raises. They say the pay is so high because they must maintain two homes, one in DC and one in there home state. Easy fix. Because they are not in session all of the time, all of old military barracks in the area can be renivated into two person rooms and they can be assigned a room with a roommate-equal to that of our military. Food-they can receive the same rations pay that our military officers make, which is standard across the board- it does not vary from duty station to duty station. For travel, they should use the same travel system our military members use for official travel. No special flights or first class unless they want to pay for the upgrades. I would start there. If someone with a business degree wants to figure this out it would be interesting to see what the difference would be.

[Lawrence E. Henson]

No Pay would be better! "Public Service" should mean just that.
LEHenson@msn.com Shelby NC 28150

[Bob Hauser]

Yes, and what about the $156 per diem that these dirt bags get? Huh? Just because California law mongers have to deal with a much larger number of people from their districts than their counterparts in Arkansas is not just cause for their obscenely bloated and absurdly high salaries to be what they are....and do they really "serve" us two rotten cents worth? No, seems to me that they spend most of their time drafting not only un Constitutional legislation but rabidly ANTI-Constitutional in most cases.
With this totally fecal economy being what it is and largely due to their incompetent butterfingering and screwing up, they should be disbanded and their retirement canceled ....this entire country has drowned itself in a flood tide of nomographic diarrhea just like what comes deluging out of Sack o Tomatoes every damned day.

And you are paying someone a very fat salary for sodomizing you bow legged out of your tax dollars and out of your rights...so what are you going to do about it? Politics in this country---and most especially in the Land of Fruits and Nuts is nothing but white collar welfare.

[mavis]

According to the Constitution, senators and representative shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law. WHAT LAW IS THAT?????? what is the statute number????

[Mark]

My state senators in California work extremely hard for their relatively modest pay of $110,000 per year. That may sound like a lot of money, but California has the people and the economy to be one of the larger countries in the world. They are responsible for far more people and dollars than managers in the private sector who make millions of dollars. I don't always agree with my state senators, but overall they do a very good job, given that the budget has to be passed by a super majority, rather than a simple majority. I wish they had the courage to substantially raise taxes and to fight against Proposition 13, so that our government, especially schools, could be sufficiently funded. Unfortunately the senators have to worry about being reelected by too many loud, ignorant people who don't understand that we are shortchanging our future by not raising taxes.

[Haydn]

Oh and one more thing, in response to Tony and Cathy, I COMPLETELY agree!!! I think that they should be paid what they are worth. I think if I were to run I would want to make the same amount of money as I make now on a day for day basis.

There are 260 work days in a year. I make 185,000 a year. This means that I make about $711.54 per day of work.

If your Georgia senator works only 40 days a year, then I should expect to get paid 40 X $711.54 which come up to over $28,460. So now lets see what they get paid...$128/day X 40 days PLUS the base of 16,500 means they actually get paid $21,620 so TECHNICALLY they should be entitled to almost a $7,000 pay RAISE...

[Haydn]

I guess I fail to see the big deal here. If you have a problem with senators pay go to states like New Mexico or Texas where their senators are all pretty much volunteers.

Stop complaining that we pay them to do a job. Its a job just like any other job except that its more public. Get over it.

[JOEL H BROOM]

I really wonder about our legislatures, they voted themselves a
very health pay increase, and at the same time put a freze on COLA for two years. I think they should be includes in the freze.
I think we should all remember this, at ELECTION TIME. They each have an expense account, that is more than their base salary. I think we are permitting our law makers, to take advantage of us.
Remember,, we can vote them out of office. we can regain control.

[Trudi]

State Representative and Senators get FREE food when they and their staff work overtime! No regular company offers this same benefit. They also get free medical, on the SITE where they work too! And the BEST medical. They are all just people like us plain folk. And... why do they get jets? Trips with their family and friends to other countries? We pay their slaraies, and we don't get free plane rides. Not even safe plane rides for that matter! We have to find a way to reduce their salaries. and they get to pay taxes on the free stuff they are taking from us, just like we do. It's called Income TAX

[Tony]

If you consider the days our state politicians work and the amount paid, they make more than they're worth, but they continue to take from the poor, line there own pockets, build for their own families, I don't begrudge them those ideas, but not at OUR expense. Pay them according to the work that they do, some elected officials don't even show up to work or vote on issues. Think about it the next time you want to vote one of these jerks or jerkettes in office.

[Cathy]

The legislature is only in session for 40 days in Georgia. With the per diem of $128 per day and $16,500 annual salary. I would say that is pretty good pay for 40 days of work.

[John]

California has "senators" and "assembly members" in the state legislature in Sacramento. what is their pay scale?

[Don]

California legislators, what a joke, these guys should be getting paid nothing until they get there act together. Raise taxes, this is how they solve a problem with the budget. Stick it to the little guy so the state controller can have another million dollars for his office furniture. Fire them all and start over,Arnold first.

[Eric]

Are the Senators taking the same cuts as the rest of us Americans during there financial boondoggle?

[Eric]

First, Each state does need legislators...Unless you want a communist country where every law comes from a central government that cover 300 million people. Our states were constructed to be like Countries united...That's why we have Federal, and State laws. We are the united STATES...We are not just AMERICA....I also do not like the fact that some states aren't paying their legislators. With the pay so small, one must be wealthy to become a legislator. You are required to be in the capital while the Congress, or General Assembly, or whatever it's called in a particular state, is in session. That means you need somewhere to live while in session, and another residence in your district. This is definitely not conducive to allowing the "regular" person to run. Only the wealthy are able to pull this off. This isn't the best system for representation.

[david]

If we continue to pay such low wages to these people with law making ability, and the ability to effect your life and mine. Then quit complaining when they are working behind the scenes to pay there bills.

[Jonathan Lamet]

Why don't American citizens have available to them the same health benefits afforded congressmen, senators and those idiots at the top? We pay their wages, they supposedly work for us. What gives? I dealt with my parents in their later years until death with the assisted living system. What an expensive mess. There are 60 million baby boomers. Do you think our elected officials are preparing for this? No!! One of the reasons is they live in a dream world unlike the rest of us! I'm fed up and pissed off!

[joe]

First, no state needs state senators and legislators, and there should be no pay increase until the budget is balanced. That would be for state and federal senators and legislators, and also governors.