CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If your career goals include a stint as governor of a state, be aware your salary prospects are strongest if you can finagle an election victory in California, Pennsylvania or Tennessee. If you’re in Maine, Colorado or Arizona ... not so much.
And for those of you planning a run in North Carolina – you’ll land somewhere in the middle.
California, Pennsylvania and Tennessee pay their top elected officials more than anywhere else in the country, according to salary data compiled by The Business Journals. For reference, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper earns $144,349 a year. That’s about $57,000 less than California’s Jerry Brown and about $74,000 more than Maine Gov. Paul Lepage. Meanwhile, across the state line, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster makes $106,078 annually.
What North Carolina, California, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, as well as the other 46, also have in common is this: The governor’s mansion rarely comes with the highest salary in the state, at least among public employees.
Read more on The Business Journals' analysis of governors' salaries here.
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