19 of the highest-paid mayors in the US, ranked by salary
Zohran Mamdani joined a list of US mayors making over $200,000 a year. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images 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 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 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 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 Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images Population: 997,368 Mayor: Matt Mahan Salary: $226,479 as of 2024, per California state records. Medley, Florida 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images Population: 8,478,072 Mayor: Zohran Mamdani Salary: $258,750, as previously reported by Business Insider. Rosemont, Illinois Business Wire/AP Population: 4,145 Mayor: Bradley Stephens Salary: $260,000, as reported by the local outlet the Daily Herald in 2024. Philadelphia 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 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 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 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 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. Read the original article on Business Insider