It pays big to lead a city — sometimes more than it does to lead the state.
After taking office in January, Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City, joined the exclusive ranks of mayors who outearn their governors' salaries.
Mayor salaries range widely across the US, from some in smaller towns earning as little as a couple of thousand dollars a year to the six-figure salaries 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 mayors' salaries to identify those earning 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 20 of the highest-paid mayors in the country.
Dearborn, Michigan
Population: 105,611
Mayor: Abdullah Hammoud
Salary: $212,083 in 2026, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
Chicago
Population: 2,731,585
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
Population: 440,838
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.
Detroit
Population: 649,095
Mayor: Mary Sheffield
Salary: $224,573, as reported by Bridge Detroit, citing city records.
San Jose, California
Population: 989,814
Mayor: Matt Mahan
Salary: $226,479 total pay as of 2024, per California state records.
Medley, Florida
Population: 1,075
Mayor: Ana "Lily" Stefano
Salary: $230,872, as reported by the Miami New Times in 2025.
Bellingham, Washington
Population: 96,395
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.
Houston
Population: 2,397,315
Mayor: John Whitmire
Salary: $240,000 in 2025, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
San Diego
Population: 1,406,106
Mayor: Todd Gloria
Salary: $244,147 as of 2024, per California state records.
Maui, Hawaii
Population: 160,592
Mayor: Richard Bissen
Salary: $245,000, as reported by the Honolulu Civil Beat in 2025.
Washington, DC
Population: 693,645
Mayor: Muriel Bowser
Salary: $250,000, according to the District of Columbia law, effective since 2023.
Boston
Florida City, Florida
Population: 13,576
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
Population: 8,584,629
Mayor: Zohran Mamdani
Salary: $258,750, as previously reported by Business Insider.
Rosemont, Illinois
Population: 3,815
Mayor: Bradley Stephens
Salary: $260,000, as reported by the local outlet, the Daily Herald, in 2024.
Philadelphia
Population: 1,574,281
Mayor: Cherelle Parker
Salary: $269,708, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2025.
Quincy, Massachusetts
Population: 103,173
Mayor: Thomas Koch
Salary: $285,000, after a pay raise approved by the City Council in 2024, WBUR reported. The mayor proposed a lower raise to $225,000 in October 2025 after backlash from residents, WCVB reported.
Oxnard, California
Population: 199,651
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
Population: 3,869,089
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
Population: 826,079
Mayor: Daniel Lurie
Salary: $393,097 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. At the time of the reported 2024 salary, Lurie's predecessor, London Breed, was in office.
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Kristine Villarroel is a reporter on Business Insider's Editorial Partnerships team. She covers lifestyle, food, and travel for Business Insider and partners, including MSN, Apple News, and Yahoo.She has previously worked writing about music, culture, entertainment, tech, travel, and real estate. Her work has been featured on Teen Vogue and Wired. She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. There, she worked as editor of The Independent Florida Alligator. Email Villarroel at [email protected] and follow her on X @ktnedelvalle
