- US senators and representatives are paid vastly different salaries across state lines.
- Career site
- calculates salary differently.
- State politicians in California make the most money, while legislators in New Hampshire only make $100 a year.
Here's the salary of every state representative in the United States
When it comes to state representatives around the US, salaries range from $100 to $97,197.
Politics doesn't always pay — at least, not on the surface.
The US does not have a uniform method for determining how much legislators earn annually. Career site Zippia analyzed the salaries of state representatives from all 50 states to see who makes the most, and who makes the least.
Politicians in California — where Democrats control both houses of the state legislature — make the most money, earning an average of $97,197 a year. In New Hampshire, state representatives are paid just $100 on average. Both houses of the New Hampshire General Court are controlled by Republicans.
Calculating and comparing how much politicians are paid isn't straightforward. Some states shell out standard annual salaries, while others determine pay based on how many days a politician works. Even the definition of "a day" varies throughout the US when it comes to calculating pay for politicians: In some places it's simply a calendar day, while other states only count when legislators are actually in session — which also differs from state to state.
"Oh, and state senators get paid differently from state representatives — sometimes," Zippia's Chris Kolmar wrote. In those cases, Zippia showcased the smaller salary.
Here's how much politicians earn around the USA:
50. New Hampshire
Both houses of the New Hampshire General Court are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $100
Living wage in New Hampshire: $55,103
49. New Mexico
Both houses of the New Mexico Legislature are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $7,425
Living wage in New Mexico: $48,050
48. Wyoming
Both houses of the Wyoming Legislature are controlled by a supermajority of Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $7,770
Living wage in Wyoming: $47,951
47. North Dakota
Both houses of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $8,280
Living wage in North Dakota: $46,814
46. Montana
Both houses of the Montana Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $8,730
Living wage in Montana: $47,083
45. Kansas
Both houses of the Kansas Legislature are controlled by Republicans, who hold a supermajority.
Average state representative pay: $9,315
Living wage in Kansas: $48,054
44. South Carolina
Both houses of the South Carolina General Assembly are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $10,400
Living wage in South Carolina: $46,568
43. South Dakota
Both houses of the South Dakota Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $11,160
Living wage in South Dakota: $45,410
42. North Carolina
Both houses of the North Carolina Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $13,951
Living wage in North Carolina: $49,575
41. Maine
Republicans control Maine's Senate, while Democrats have a majority in the House of Representatives.
Average state representative pay: $14,100
Living wage in Maine: $51,305
40. Vermont
Both houses of the Vermont General Assembly are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $14,712
Living wage in Vermont: $51,977
39. Kentucky
Both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $14,850
Living wage in Kentucky: $43,308
38. Rhode Island
Both houses of the Rhode Island General Assembly are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $15,171
Living wage in Rhode Island: $53,240
37. Idaho
Both houses of the Idaho Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $16,684
Living wage in Idaho: $45,801
36. Utah
Both houses of the Utah State Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $16,785
Living wage in Utah: $47,922
35. Texas
Both houses of the Texas Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $20,500
Living wage in Texas: $48,160
34. Nebraska
The legally-nonpartisan and unicameral Nebraska Legislature has a majority of Republican-affiliated members.
Average state representative pay: $21,675
Living wage in Nebraska: $48,076
33. Mississippi
Both houses of the Mississippi Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $26,100
Living wage in Virginia: $54,264
32. Nevada
Both houses of the Nevada Legislature are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $23,400
Living wage in Nevada: $52,698
31. Georgia
Both houses of the Georgia Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $24,262
Living wage in Georgia: $47,946
30. Virginia
Both houses of the Virginia General Assembly are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $26,100
Living wage in Virginia: $54,264
29. West Virginia
Both houses of the West Virginia Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $27,860
Living wage in West Virginia: $44,823
28. Connecticut
The Connecticut General Assembly's House of Representatives has a Democratic majority. The state's Senate is split down the middle, but Democratic Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman casts the tie-breaking vote.
Average state representative pay: $28,000
Living wage in Connecticut: $59,502
27. Arizona
Both houses of the Arizona Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $28,200
Living wage in Arizona: $51,341.00
26. Louisiana
Both houses of the Louisiana Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $30,600
Living wage in Louisiana: $47,975
25. Oregon
Both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $34,920
Living wage in Oregon: $51,900
24. Missouri
Both houses of the Missouri Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $35,915
Living wage in Missouri: $46,159
23. Florida
Both houses of the Florida Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $37,437
Living wage in Florida: $52,206
22. Indiana
Both houses of the Indiana Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $38,180.16
Living wage in Indiana: $46,838
21. Oklahoma
Both houses of the Oklahoma Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $38,400.
Living wage in Oklahoma: $46,613
20. Tennessee
Both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $38,704
Living wage in Tennessee: $46,785
19. Minnesota
Both houses of the Minnesota Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $39,540
Living wage in Minnesota: $52,115
18. Iowa
Both houses of the Iowa General Assembly are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $40,540
Living wage in Iowa: $48,882
17. Colorado
The Colorado General Assembly's Senate is Republican-controlled, while its House of Representatives has a Democratic majority.
Average state representative pay: $41,880
Living wage in Colorado: $53,792
16. Alabama
Both houses of the Alabama Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $42,849
Living wage in Alabama: $45,824
15. Delaware
Both houses of the Delaware General Assembly are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $44,541
Living wage in Delaware: $53,112
14. Arkansas
Both houses of the Arkansas General Assembly are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $46,150
Living wage in Arkansas: $44,571
13. New Jersey
Both houses of the New Jersey Legislature are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $49,000
Living wage in New Jersey: $56,109
12. Wisconsin
Both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $50,950
Living wage in Wisconsin: $51,120
11. Washington
Both houses of the Washington Legislature are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $51,706
Living wage in Washington: $51,271
10. Maryland
Both houses of the Maryland General Assembly are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $58,257
Living wage in Maryland: $58,178
9. Ohio
Both houses of the Ohio General Assembly are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $60,584
Living wage in Ohio: $45,853
8. Massachusetts
Both houses of the Massachusetts Legislature are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $64,532.60
Living wage in Massachusetts: $59,560
7. Illinois
Both houses of the Illinois General Assembly are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $67,836
Living wage in Illinois: $52,304
6. Hawaii
Both houses of the Montana Legislature are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $68,004
Living wage in Hawaii: $60,700
5. Alaska
Democrats have the majority caucus in Alaska's House of Representatives, but Republicans have a majority in the state's Senate.
Average state representative pay: $70,470
Living wage in Alaska: $54,400
4. Michigan
Both houses of the Michigan Legislature are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $71,685
Living wage in Michigan: $48,837
3. New York
New York's State Assembly has a Democratic majority, while its Senate has a Republican majority.
Average state representative pay: $79,500
Living wage in New York: $59,128
2. Pennsylvania
Both houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly are controlled by Republicans.
Average state representative pay: $85,338.65
Living wage in Pennsylvania: $49,914
1. California
Both houses of the California Legislature are controlled by Democrats.
Average state representative pay: $97,197
Living wage in California: $57,315
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng