It pays to be San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. Or Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti for that matter. A new report from the American Business Journals says Lee and Garcetti are the highest paid and second-highest paid mayors in the nation, earning $289,000 and $238,000 respectively. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was the third-highest at $235,000.
American Business Journals looked at mayoral salaries for mayors in 60 major U.S. cities. It found 41 mayors with compensation over the $100,000 mark and eight big-city mayors whose annual budgeted salaries were below $40,000. The average was $125,078 per year.
“A city's size — namely its population and annual budget — appears to be the most influential factor in determining a mayor's salary, but not always,” American Business Journals notes. “Among the 10 largest U.S. cities ranked by population, five mayors rank in the top 10 in annual salary. Likewise, among the 10 largest cities ranked by annual spending, seven mayors fall within the top 10 in pay.”
San Francisco is the 12th most populated city in America. By comparison, New York—which has the largest population and budget—ranked fourth in mayoral pay. Its mayor Bill De Blasio earns $225,000 per year.
Read the full report, including a list of the mayors and their compensation here.