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Staff Researcher Sarah Doyel explains the types of country legislatures and how state representatives are paid in each country
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Last updated on August 4, 2021
There is a meaning amount of variance in legislator salaries among the 50 states. In California, legislators are paid $114,877 per year in bacon. Comparatively, New Hampshire legislators earn only $100 per yr without per diem. New United mexican states is the only state that does not pay its legislators a salary, only lawmakers do still earn per diem.

The top five states with the highest-paid base legislative salaries are:

  • California - $114,877/year
  • New York - $110,000/year
  • Pennsylvania - $90,335/twelvemonth
  • Michigan - $71,685/year
  • Massachusetts - $seventy,536/yr

All of the pinnacle five highest-paid legislatures are full-time. Depending on the state, some state legislators work part-time in the government and maintain jobs outside the legislature. According to Politico, 42 of the 117 men (36%) serving in state legislatures who had 2018 financial disclosure forms available had jobs in addition to their legislative duties. Six of the 49 women (xiv%) legislators had jobs outside the legislature.[i]

How state legislator salaries are gear up

Salaries of state legislators are adamant in four ways.

  • 19 states use a commission of some kind to determine the salary of legislators. The powers of these commissions vary from not-binding reports to reports that are implemented unless voted down by the legislature, non approved by the governor, or overturned by citizen referenda.
  • In 2 of these states mentioned to a higher place—Arizona and Nebraska—any recommendation to change legislators' pay must be approved by voters before going into consequence.
  • Some states necktie legislative salaries to those of other state employees
  • Other states permit the legislators themselves to set their own salaries[2]

States with a policy of allowing legislators to set their own salaries encounter what the National Briefing of State Legislatures calls the "pay trouble," in which the political risk associated with possible negative perceptions of legislators who vote to increment their own pay prevents legislatures from raising salaries. When this happens, information technology is possible for inflation to outpace the rate of pay, significant legislative salaries may decline over fourth dimension.[three]

Full-time and role-fourth dimension legislatures

See also: States with a full-time legislature

The National Conference of State Legislatures classifies country legislatures as full-fourth dimension, part-time, or hybrid.

  • Full-time states have legislators who devote 84 percent of a total time job to their legislative duties which include committee hearings, listening sessions, elective service, and time spent campaigning. On boilerplate, each total-time legislator is paid about $82,358.[4]
  • Hybrid states have legislators who devote 74 percent of a full time job to their legislative duties. Legislators estimate they spend more than two-thirds of a full-fourth dimension chore on their legislative duties. On average, each hybrid legislator is paid virtually $41,110.[4]
  • Function-time states have legislators who devote 57 percent of a full fourth dimension job to their legislative duties. On average, each legislator is paid near $18,449. These are also chosen "traditional or citizen legislatures" and the legislators typically demand additional sources of income outside the legislature to brand a living.[four]

Salaries by state

The following table details the salaries and per diem compensation for state legislators beyond the country. Click here for methodology on how this data was collected.

State Bacon Per diem Type[5]
Alabama $51,734/year For overnight stays: $85/day. For two or more days with overnight stays: $100/day. Hybrid
Alaska $50,400/year For legislators whose permanent residence is not Juneau: up to $293/twenty-four hours. No per diem is paid to Juneau legislators. Full-time
Arizona $24,000/yr For legislators residing inside Maricopa Canton: $35/day for the first 120 days of regular and special sessions and $x/solar day for all following days. For legislators residing outside of Maricopa County: $151/twenty-four hours for the showtime 120 days of regular and special sessions for lodging and $56 for meals. That rate would exist cut in half after the 120th day. The per diem for legislators residing outside of Maricopa County is tied to the federal rate. Hybrid
Arkansas $42,428/year For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $55/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the capitol: $151/24-hour interval. Hybrid
California $114,877/year $211/day Full-time
Colorado $40,242/year For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $45/day. For legislators living more than fifty miles from the capitol: $219/day. Set by the legislature. Vouchered. Hybrid
Connecticut $28,000/yr No per diem is paid. Hybrid
Delaware $47,291/year No per diem is paid. Hybrid
Florida $29,697/twelvemonth $152/day for upwardly to 50 days for senators and upwardly to lx days for representatives. Vouchered. Hybrid
Georgia $xv,608/year $173/day. Fix by the Legislative Services Committee. Unvouchered. Hybrid
Hawaii $62,604/year For legislators who do not reside on Oahu: $225/twenty-four hours. For legislators living on Oahu during the mandatory five-mean solar day recess only: $10/twenty-four hour period. Legislators who exercise not reside on Oahu are reimbursed for air travel costs. Full-time
Idaho $18,691/year For legislators residing within fifty miles of the capitol: $71/solar day. For legislators residing more 50 miles from the capitol: $139/day. Function-time
Illinois $69,464/yr $151/day Full-time
Indiana $28,102.l/year $183/solar day. Unvouchered. Hybrid
Iowa $25,000/twelvemonth $172/day. Unvouchered. Hybrid
Kansas $88.66/session solar day $151/solar day Role-fourth dimension
Kentucky $188.22/calendar day $166.x/day Hybrid
Louisiana $xvi,800/year $160/twenty-four hour period. Tied to federal charge per unit. Unvouchered. Hybrid
Maine $15,417 for the commencement regular session. $10,923 for the 2nd regular session. $38/twenty-four hours for lodging (or mileage up to $38/twenty-four hours in lieu of housing, plus tolls). $32/day for meals. Set by statute. Part-time
Maryland $50,330/twelvemonth $106/twenty-four hours for lodging. $56/twenty-four hours for meals. Hybrid
Massachusetts $70,536/yr No per diem is paid. Legislators residing inside l miles of the statehouse receive an function expense stipend of $17,043 that tin be used for travel expenses. Legislators residing more than than 50 miles from the statehouse receive $22,723. Full-time
Michigan $71,685/year No per diem is paid. Legislators receive an expense assart of $10,800/yr for session and interim. Set past the bounty commission. Vouchered. Full-time
Minnesota $48,250/twelvemonth For senators: $86/solar day. For representatives: $66/day. Hybrid
Mississippi $23,500/year $151/twenty-four hour period. Tied to federal rate. Unvouchered. Part-time
Missouri $35,915/year $121/day. Tied to federal rate. Unvouchered. Hybrid
Montana $100.48/legislative day $126.12/solar day; For additional expenses, legislators will receive a primary $3,000 stipend and a secondary amount betwixt $one,000 and $four,000 depending on the size of a legislator's commune. Part-time
Nebraska $12,000/year For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $55/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the capitol: $151/24-hour interval. Hybrid
Nevada $164.69/calendar day up to threescore days. Senators who are non upward for re-election until 2022 receive $159.89/calendar 24-hour interval. $151/day; Legislators have a travel allowance of $x,000/session and leadership has an boosted $900/session allowance. Hybrid
New Hampshire $100/twelvemonth No per diem is paid. Part-time
New Bailiwick of jersey $49,000/twelvemonth No per diem is paid. Hybrid
New Mexico $0/year $165/twenty-four hours (January and February); $194/twenty-four hour period (March). Tied to federal charge per unit. Vouchered. Part-time
New York $110,000/year For non-overnight travel: $61/twenty-four hours. For overnight stays: $176/day. Total-time
Due north Carolina $13,951/year $104/24-hour interval. For boosted expenses, legislators receive $559/month. Set past statute. Unvouchered. Hybrid
N Dakota $526/month $189/24-hour interval Part-time
Ohio $67,492/twelvemonth No per diem is paid. Total-time
Oklahoma $47,500/year $165/day. Tied to federal rate. Unvouchered. Hybrid
Oregon $32,839/year $151/day Hybrid
Pennsylvania $90,335/year $178/mean solar day Full-time
Rhode Island $sixteen,636/year No per diem is paid. Part-time
South Carolina $10,400/year $173/twenty-four hour period. Tied to federal charge per unit. Hybrid
South Dakota $12,851/year $151/day. Legislative days merely. Unvouchered. Part-time
Tennessee $24,316/year For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $61/day. For legislators residing more than than 50 miles from the capitol: $295/day. Tied to federal rate. Unvouchered. Hybrid
Texas $vii,200/year $221/day. Set past ideals commission. Unvouchered. Hybrid
Utah $285/legislative day No per diem is paid. Legislators who reside more than 100 miles from the uppercase can receive expense reimbursement for meals and lodging. Part-time
Vermont $742.92/week during session $75/day since the legislature met remotely for the 2021 legislative session. Part-time
Virginia $xviii,000/yr for senators. $17,640/twelvemonth for delegates. $211/day Hybrid
Washington $56,881/twelvemonth $120/day Hybrid
Due west Virginia $20,000/year $131/twenty-four hours. Ready by compensation committee. Unvouchered. Role-time
Wisconsin $55,141/year $115/twenty-four hours for senators who reside outside of Dane County; Senators who live in Dane County receive $57.50/day. $153 (with overnight) or $76.50/day (no overnight) for representatives. Per diem can be claimed up to 90 days per yr. Total-time
Wyoming $150/solar day $109/twenty-four hours. Set up by legislature. Vouchered. Legislators also receive an additional $300/month; 1/2 bacon for i day of preparation for each day the legislator is engaged in work for the Management Council or any committee; and one/2 salary for each day the member travels to/from an interim activity for which they are entitled to receive a salary. Function-time

Methodology

  • The National Conference of Country Legislatures conducts an annual survey of every land legislature. Data from that survey is used on this page.
  • This folio is updated when any change to legislator salary becomes finalized and in event.
  • Many states necktie per diem pay to the federal charge per unit. That charge per unit is set past the U.S. Full general Services Assistants, with new rates set each fiscal twelvemonth—constructive Oct 1 of each year. Where applicable, per diem rates on this folio are adjusted subsequently new per diem rates go into event.

If you are aware of whatsoever possible changes to legislator salaries, or if you have any questions or comments, delight contact editor@ballotpedia.org.

See also

  • States with a full-fourth dimension legislature
  • Length of terms of land representatives
  • State legislatures with term limits

Footnotes

  1. Pol, "Male legislators earn much more than from outside jobs than their female person colleagues," Baronial fourteen, 2019
  2. NCSL, "Pay Trouble: Jan 2011," accessed March five, 2020
  3. National Briefing of State Legislatures, "Legislative Compensation Overview," July 19, 2017
  4. four.0 4.1 four.2 NCSL, "Full and Role-Time Legislatures," July 28, 2021 (See Table 2. Average Job Time, Compensation and Staff Size past Category of Legislature)
  5. Total-fourth dimension legislatures devote at least 84 percentage of a total-fourth dimension task to legislative duties. Hybrid legislatures devote 74 percent of a total-time task. Part-time legislatures devote 57 percent of a full-time task.