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    Highest-Paid Mayors in the US, Ranked by Salary

    Press RoomBy No Comments6 Mins Read

    • Major city mayors like Zohran Mamdani earn more than their state governors.
    • Mayoral salaries vary widely, with some small towns paying more than large cities.
    • San Francisco mayor, Daniel Lurie, forgoes his $383,760 salary, the highest in the nation.

    It pays big to lead a city — sometimes more than it does to lead the state.

    Zohran Mamdani, the newly inaugurated mayor of New York City, is joining the exclusive ranks of mayors who outearn their governors’ salaries.

    Mayor salaries range widely across the nation, with some in smaller towns earning as little as a couple of thousand dollars a year, to the six-figure salaries that many major city leaders earn.

    Since mayors’ salaries are set at the local level by city councils and local legislatures, there are no centralized reports on what mayors earn across all cities and towns.

    And a larger city doesn’t always mean a bigger payday for its mayor. Some high-earning enclaves with as few as 1,000 residents pay their mayors higher salaries than those in some of the nation’s largest cities.

    We compiled recent reports on local mayor salaries to identify mayors who earn more than $200,000 a year. We also identified the size of the cities they lead using the latest US Census population estimates.

    Here are 19 of the highest-paid mayors in the country.

    Dearborn, Michigan


    Abdullah Hammoud, Mayor of Dearborn

    Abdullah Hammoud has been the mayor of Dearborn since 2022.

    Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Population: 106,377

    Mayor: Abdullah Hammoud

    Salary: $212,083 in 2026, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.

    Chicago


    Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson

    In 2024, Brandon Johnson became the first mayor of Chicago to receive a salary raise since 2006.

    Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

    Population: 2,721,308

    Mayor: Brandon Johnson

    Salary: $221,052 in 2026, as reported by Block Club Chicago, after Johnson decided to skip an annual inflation raise to his compensation.

    Oakland, California


    Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee

    Barbara Lee has served as mayor of Oakland since 2025.

    Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

    Population: 443,554

    Mayor: Barbara Lee

    Salary: $222,312 as of 2024, according to California state records.

    Lee’s predecessor — Sheng Thao, who left office in November 2024 — was mayor at the time of the reported salary.

    San Jose, California


    San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan

    Matt Mahan has served as the mayor of San Jose since 2023.

    Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Population: 997,368

    Mayor: Matt Mahan

    Salary: $226,479 as of 2024, per California state records.

    Medley, Florida


    Downtown Doral, Florida

    Medley is a town located near Doral, Florida (pictured).

    andrespilot/Shutterstock

    Population: 1,036 (per the Miami New Times)

    Mayor: Ana “Lily” Stefano

    Salary: $230,872, as reported by the Miami New Times in 2025.

    Houston


    Houston Mayor John Whitmire

    John Whitmire was sworn in as the mayor of Houston on January 2, 2024.

    Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

    Population: 2,390,125

    Mayor: John Whitmire

    Salary: $236,189 as of 2022, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.

    Whitmire’s predecessor, Sylvester Turner, was in office at the time the salary was reported. Whitmire was sworn into office on January 2, 2024.

    Bellingham, Washington


    Bellingham, Washington

    Bellingham, Washington, is a coastal city near the Canadian border.

    Cascade Creatives/Shutterstock

    Population: 95,860

    Mayor: Kim Lund

    Salary: $237,000, as reported by Cascadia Daily News in 2025.

    The mayor decided to forgo a cost-of-living raise in 2026.

    San Diego, California


    San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria

    Todd Gloria has served as the mayor of San Diego since 2020.

    Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Population: 1,404,452

    Mayor: Todd Gloria

    Salary: $244,147 as of 2024, per California state records.

    Maui, Hawaii


    Maui Mayor Richard Bissen

    Richard Bissen has served as the mayor of Maui County, Hawaii, since 2023.

    Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

    Population: 163,688

    Mayor: Richard Bissen

    Salary: $245,000, as reported by the Honolulu Civil Beat in 2025.

    Washington, DC


    Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser

    Muriel Bowser has been the mayor of the nation’s capital since 2015.

    Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images

    Population: 702,250

    Mayor: Muriel Bowser

    Salary: $250,000, according to the District of Columbia law, effective since 2023.

    Boston


    Boston Mayor Michelle Wu

    Michelle Wu has been the mayor of Boston since 2021.

    Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty Images

    Population: 673,458

    Mayor: Michelle Wu

    Salary: $250,000 in 2026, as reported by Boston.com.

    Florida City, Florida


    Otis T. Wallace, Florida City mayor

    Otis T. Wallace has been the mayor of Florida City in Miami-Dade County, Florida, since 1984.

    AP Photo/Hillery Smith Garrison

    Population: 13,157

    Mayor: Otis T. Wallace

    Salary: $250,328, plus a $5,600 expense account, phone, and car, as reported by the Miami New Times in 2025.

    Wallace has been the city’s mayor since 1984, with a salary that reflects his combined responsibilities serving as both mayor and city manager.

    New York City


    Zohran Mamdani

    Zohran Mamdani was sworn into the office of the mayor of New York City on January 1, 2026.

    Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    Population: 8,478,072

    Mayor: Zohran Mamdani

    Salary: $258,750, as previously reported by Business Insider.

    Rosemont, Illinois


    Brad Stephens, mayor of Rosemont, Illinois

    Bradley Stephens, third from left, has served as the village president of Rosemont since 2007.

    Business Wire/AP

    Population: 4,145

    Mayor: Bradley Stephens

    Salary: $260,000, as reported by the local outlet the Daily Herald in 2024.

    Philadelphia


    Mayor of the City of Philadelphia Cherelle Parker

    Cherelle Parker took office as Mayor of Philadelphia on January 1, 2024.

    Marla Aufmuth/Getty Images for Pennsylvania Conference for Women

    Population: 1,573,916

    Mayor: Cherelle Parker

    Salary: $269,708, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2025.

    Quincy, Massachusetts


    Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch

    Thomas Koch is the longest-serving mayor of Quincy, currently serving in his seventh term as of 2026.

    Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

    Population: 101,607

    Mayor: Thomas Koch

    Salary: $285,000, after a pay raise approved by the City Council in 2024, WBUR reported.

    Oxnard, California


    Oxnard Mayor Luis McArthur

    Luis A. McArthur was elected as the mayor of the City of Oxnard in 2024.

    APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images

    Population: 200,616

    Mayor: Luis A. McArthur

    Salary: $323,282 as of 2024, per California state records.

    McArthur’s predecessor, John C. Zaragoza, was in office at the time of the reported salary. McArthur was sworn into office on December 11, 2024.

    Los Angeles


    Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass

    Karen Bass oversees the city of Los Angeles, home to over three million people.

    Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    Population: 3,878,704

    Mayor: Karen Bass

    Salary: $328,395 as of 2024, per California state records. Local reporting in 2025 put the number at $301,000.

    San Francisco


    Daniel Lurie

    Daniel Lurie has forgone his salary as mayor of San Francisco.

    Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

    Population: 827,526

    Mayor: Daniel Lurie

    Salary: $383,760 as of 2024, according to California state records.

    However, Lurie decided to take a $1 salary from the city, as reported by local outlet KQED in 2024.

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