The annual earnings of the governors range from $70,000 in Maine (which, is less than a freelance writer who works from home typically makes, just sayin’) to $201,860 in California (which, is not a lot for the high cost of living in California, just sayin’). Serving a term or two as governor is a good political stepping stone. Of the 45 men (still only men, sigh) who have been president of the United States, 17 were governors, before becoming President of the United States. Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, were governors of their respective states before becoming President. The 17 Governors-turned-President come from just 10 states: Virginia, New York, Tennessee, Ohio, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Georgia, California, Arkansas, and Texas. Washington’s Jay Inslee was briefly a candidate for the 2020 nomination. New York’s Andrew Cuomo and California’s Gavin Newsom are currently getting a lot of buzz for how well they are handling their respective state’s responses to the pandemic with #PresidentCuomo and #PresidentNewsom trending on social media. Of the current governors, 27 are Republicans and 23 are Democrats. Below is a look at the salaries of a handful of U.S. governors and the size of the population of their state to give you some insight into why some governors make more than others. The Five Lowest-Paid Governors #46. Kansas – $99,636 Governor: Laura Kelly (D) Population: 2,913,314 (35th most populous) #47. Oregon – $98,600 Governor: Kate Brown (D) Population: 4,217, 737 (27th most populous) #48. Arizona – $95,000 Governor: Doug Ducey (R) Population: 7,278,717 (14th most populous) #49. Colorado – $90,000 Governor: Jared Polis (D) Population: 5,758,736 (21st most populous) #50. Maine – $70,000 Governor: Janet Mills (D) Population: 1,344,212 (42nd most populous) The Five Highest-Paid Governors #5. Massachusetts – $185,000 Governor: Charlie Baker (R) Population: 6,892,503 (15th most populous) #4. Tennessee – $194,112 Governor: Bill Lee (R) Population: 6,829,174 (16th most populous) #3. Pennsylvania – $194,850 Governor: Tom Wolf (D) Population: 12,801,989 (5th most populous) #2. New York – $200,000 Governor: Andrew Cuomo (D) Population: 19,453,561 (4th most populous) #1. California – $201,680 Governor: Gavin Newsom (D) Population: 39,512,223 (most populous)
