Highest Paid Public Employees by State

Across the U.S., the highest-paid public employees often snag salaries that rival private sector bigwigs, spotlighting state priorities in 2025. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll pegs state and local government workers at 19.2 million, with payrolls topping $1 trillion yearly.

In 2023, California’s top earner, a UCLA football coach, raked in $6.4 million, per USA Today, while Florida’s lead physician at a state hospital hit $1.2 million (Florida DBPR). Nationwide, 77 federal employees outearned the President’s $400,000 salary in 2020, says FederalPay.org.

The BLS notes public sector jobs grew by 709,000 in 2023, hinting at rising compensation trends. This article dives into who’s cashing the biggest checks in each state, backed by Census, BLS, and state data. From coaches to docs, the numbers show where public funds flow.

Who is a paid public employee?

A paid public employee is someone who works for the government in any capacity. That is if a person works for the government and serves the people of a country, and his efforts are recognized, he will be rewarded.

When we hear about paid government employees, one of the first things that come to mind is whether they are fairly compensated for their efforts. let’s go through the highest-paid public employees by state.

Highest-paid state employees in the USA

• Dabo Swinney– $11.5 million
• John Calipari– $9.6 million
• Nick Saban– $8.9 million
• Jim Harbaugh– $7.5 million
• Jimbo Fisher– $7.5 million
• Kirby Smart– $6.9 million
• Jeff Brohm– $6.6 million
• Lincoln Riley– $6.4 million.
• James Franklin– $5.7 million
• Scott Frost– $5 million

The list is ranked by salary and not by name. These rankings only include those who work for government agencies, not private companies.

#1. Dabo Swinney

The first on our list is Dabo Swinney. he is one of the highest-paid state employees in the United States. with an $11.5 million salary

Swinney became the head coach of the Clemson Tigers in 2008 and has amassed a fortune as the highest-paid government employee ever since (13 years).

#2. Kentucky’s John

John Calipari is the head coach of the University of Kentucky’s men’s basketball team and the second-highest-paid public employee by state, with a $9.3 million salary

#3. Nick Saban,

Next on our list is Nick Saban, the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, with whom he won six national championships.

Despite his West Virginia roots, he has become a wealthy Alabamian and is one of the highest-paid state employees in the United States.

He is the head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, where he signed a new eight-year contract worth at least $74 million in 2018.

#4. Jim Harbaugh, 

Jim Harbaugh attended the University of Michigan and played football there.

He is currently the team’s coach, earning millions of dollars per year and ranking among the highest-paid public employees in the United States. with a 7.5 million dollar salary

#5. Jimbo Fisher,

We can’t fail to mention Jimbo Fisher. His annual salary in Texas is $7.5 million. Texas A&M signed him in 2017 for a huge sum, a $75 million deal for a 10-year contract. This came up after he led Florida State University to the national championships.

#6. Kirby Smart (6.9 million)

Kirby Smart attended the University of Georgia in the 1990s. He was the head football coach at the University of Alabama for seven years and has been since 2015.

#7. Jeff Brohm

Jeff Brohm is a Kentucky native who previously played quarterback. He is the head coach of Purdue University’s Boilermakers and one of the highest-paid state employees in the United States.

#8. Lincoln Riley,

Lincoln Riley is one of the highest-paid public employees in the United States and the country’s youngest multimillionaire, according to this list of the highest-paid state employees in the United States. He accomplished this feat at the age of 36. with a yearly salary of

#9. Franklin, James

James Franklin, a former quarterback for the East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, is one of the highest-paid state employees in the United States. He was a member of the team for all four years.
with a $5.7 million salary

#10. Scott Frost,

Scott Frost is the head coach of the University of Nebraska’s football team and one of the highest-paid public employees in the country. he received $5 million.

Frost is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and his performance has been so impressive that he has been asked to coach the team for an additional two years after his contract expires in 2024.

Highest-paid Washington state employees

Mike Leach’s annual salary is $3,964,600.00.

Mississippi State University’s head football coach is Michael Charles Leach. On March 9, 1961, he was born. Mike Leach also devised the “Air Raid” offense, which set an NCAA record.

From 2000 to 2009, he was the head coach at Texas Tech University, where he won the most games of any coach in the school’s history. He was the head coach at Washington State University from 2012 to 2019. He won the third-most games of any coach in school history there.

Leach is well-known for assembling potent offenses. Leach’s offenses set numerous school and NCAA records. He is one of Washington’s highest-paid state employees. with an annual salary of  $3,964,600.00.

Highest-paid state employees in Rhode Island

David Dooley, president of the University of Rhode Island, is the highest-paid state employee, earning $320,000 last year. According to state payroll records provided in response to a records request, the men’s basketball head coach at the school, Daniel Hurley, earned $295,481 in 2012.

The highest-paid public employee in North Carolina

Valerie Hillings, director of the North Carolina Museum of Art, is the state’s highest-paid employee. Her starting salary is $336,274.

Approximately 65% of the highest-paid employees in the state earn more than $200,000 per year in the medical and mental health fields.

Jeff Smith and Christopher Morris, the state’s co-chief investment officers, are among the highest-paid employees. They are both in the top 20, along with Craig Demko, director of private equity.

William Carver, interim president of the North Carolina Community College System, is a full-time temporary employee. His hourly wage is equivalent to a yearly salary of $291,741.

Highest-paid state employees in Pennsylvania

The top earners in Pennsylvania remain essentially unchanged from last year. As a senior investment advisor at the state’s school employee retirement fund, James Grossman earned the most ($490,352).

Michael Brogna came in second, earning $486,058 as a physician in a state hospital in Montour County.

Daniel Greenstein came in third, earning $432,011 as the System of Higher Education’s chancellor.

Highest-paid state employees in Mississippi

Lane Kiffin, with an annual salary of $3.9 million. When Matt Luke was the head football coach at Ole Miss, his $3 million salary made him the state’s highest-paid public employee, but he was fired and replaced by Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin agreed to a $16.2 million, four-year contract that will pay him even more — $3.9 million in 2020, increasing by $100,000 per year until he reaches $4.2 million in 2023.

Highest-paid state employee in Montana

Laurence Hubbard with an Annual salary of $342,308
Laurence Hubbard is the longtime president and CEO of the Montana State Fund. His salary, which is 881% higher than the average salary, makes him the state’s top-paid employee.

The highest-paid public employee in Minnesota

P.J. Fleck, the University of Minnesota’s head football coach, is enduring the largest contract in the school’s history. He signed a seven-year, $33.3 million contract in 2019 that paid him $3.6 million that year and $4.6 million in 2020. This raise places him in the top half of the Big Ten’s list of highest-paid coaches.

Below is a list of other highest-paid state employees in Minnesota.

• Ahmed, Shabeer
  $581,550.26
  Human Services Dept Psychiatrist Anoka Regional Treatment Ctr
• Matzen, Ted A
  $ 542,540.65
  Human Services Dept Psychiatrist Community Behavioral Health Hospital — Baxter
• Berryhill, Eve Charity
  $ 475,505.95
  Human Services Dept Psychiatrist Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Hospital — Willmar
• Stevens, KyleeAnn Sophia
  $ 461,371.68
  Human Services Dept Psychiatrist Human Services Department (St. Paul)
• Perry, Mansco
  $ 452,007.30
  Investment Board Executive Director State Board Of Investment (St. Paul)
• Kruse, Matthew R.
  $ 430,074.48
  Human Services Dept Psychiatrist Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center
• Mach, David Jerome
  $ 404,696.16
  Human Services Dept Psychiatrist Community Behavioral Health Hospital — Fergus Falls

The highest-paid public employee in Texas

• Jase Auby
  Chief Investment Officer, Teacher Retirement System
  Salary: $550,000
• Eric Lang
  Senior Managing Director, Teacher Retirement System
  Salary: $414,999
• Kimberly Carey
  Investment Director, Teacher Retirement System
  Salary: $408,000
• Brain Guthrie
  Executive Director, Teacher Retirement System
  Salary: $399,999
• David Veal
  Director of Investments, Employee Retirement System
  Salary: $395,000
• Mikhael Rawls
  Investment Manager, Employee Retirement System
  Salary: $387,990
• Dale West
  Senior Managing Director, Teacher Retirement System
  Salary: $380,000
• James Nield
  Senior Managing Director, Teacher Retirement System
  Salary: $369,999
• Kathleen Hoffman
  Senior Managing Director, Teacher Retirement System
  Salary: $369,999
• Emerson Halstead
  Investment Manager, Teacher Retirement System
  Salary: $356,825
• Grant Walker
  Senior Director, Teacher Retirement System
  Salary: $354,999
• John Gilbert
  Senior Director, Teacher Retirement System
  Salary: $354,999
• Neil Randall
  Managing Director, Teacher Retirement System
  Salary: $354,999

Conclusion

There’s a good chance that the highest-paid state employee in the United States isn’t the governor.

Sport is big business: Ticket sales, merchandise, and concessions are major revenue generators so they have a strong financial incentive to keep their head coaches satisfied.