What do New Jersey lawmakers earn? How does that compare to state legislators elsewhere?

Kim Strong, Asbury Park Press
·9 min read

The salary for New Jersey lawmakers will nearly double when a pay hike, approved by the legislators and signed off by the governor, goes into effect. This comes in the midst of other substantial salary increases in state legislatures elsewhere.

In New Jersey, legislators' salaries are $49,000 annually now, and will increase 67% to $82,000 in 2026, their first raise in two decades. This will make them among the highest-paid state legislators in the nation.

Here are other recent hikes:

  • Lawmakers in Kansas cranked up their salaries by $28,000, starting next year, which will nearly double their current annual salary of $30,000. Legislative leaders get additional payments because of their duties, and the House speaker and Senate president are set to make more than $85,000 a year, up from $44,000. This makes their compensation better than it is for their counterparts in a majority of states, including more populous ones like Georgia and Texas.

  • Alaska lawmakers’ salaries rose by 67% last month at the start of their annual session, from $50,400 to $84,000, also because legislators let a proposal from a pay commission stand.

  • New York lawmakers received a 29% raise at the start of 2023, making their pay the highest in the nation at $142,000 a year.

Most states pay a salary and give their lawmakers extra money each day to cover expenses in session, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures data.

Beyond salary, many states offer a per diem bonus for days the legislator is away from home. It varies by state, but per diems are often based on the rates established by the U.S. General Services Administration, which federal agencies rely on to determine reimbursement rates for employees and often change annually.

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What do state lawmakers earn across U.S.?

Here's what lawmakers earn:

  • Alabama: $59,609 annual salary; $12.75 per diem for lawmakers who are six or more hours away from their home base, $34 per diem for those who are over 12 hours away with no overnight.

  • Alaska: $84,000 annual salary; $307 per diem. Legislators from Juneau do not receive the per diem.

  • Arizona: $24,000 annual salary; per diem varies for lawmakers residing in and outside Maricopa County.

  • Arkansas: $44,356 annual salary; $59 per diem for lawmakers who live within 50 miles of the Capitol, $155 per diem for lawmakers who are more than 50 miles away from the Capitol.

  • California: $128,215 annual salary; confirm latest per diem with Legislature's research or admin staff.

  • Colorado: $43,977 annual salary for senators whose terms began in 2023 and for all House members; $41,449 annual salary for lawmakers whose terms began prior to January 2023. Per 2023 NCLS data, $45 per diem for lawmakers who live within 50 miles of the Capitol, $237 per diem for lawmakers who live more than 50 miles away from Capitol.

  • Connecticut: $40,000 annual salary; no per diem but senators get an allowance of $5,500 and House members get $4,500. Starting in 2025, the annual salary will be increased to keep up with inflation.

  • Delaware: $49,202 annual salary; expense allowance of $7,481.

  • District of Columbia: $161,233.19 annual salary; no per diem.

  • Florida: $18,000 annual salary; per diem is $175 a day during session, $80 a day during committee weeks.

  • Georgia: $23,341.72 annual salary; $247 per diem.

  • Hawaii: $74,160 annual salary; $225 per diem, only for non-Oahu lawmakers.

  • Idaho: $19,913 annual salary; Per diem for lawmakers who live within 50 miles of the Capitol receive the meals and incidentals rate for the General Services Administration rate for Boise, currently $74. The per diem for lawmakers who live more than 50 miles from the Capitol includes the lodging and meals rate, currently $172.

  • Illinois: $85,000 annual salary; Per diem is tied to General Services Administration rate for Illinois and is currently $166.

  • Indiana: $29,749 annual salary; $196 per diem.

  • Iowa: $25,000 annual salary. There is an additional allowance of $3,600 for in-district expenses, paid $300 per month. The per diem is $178, or the Des Moines rate from the General Services Administration. Lawmakers in Polk County, home to Des Moines, receive 75% of that, or $133.50.

  • Kansas: Current total compensation is about $30,000 which includes an annual salary of $7,979, an out of session allowance of $7,083 and a per diem of $166 for each of the 90 in session days. Beginning in 2025, the new compensation total, nearly $58,000, will include a salary of $43,000 and the in-session per diem to cover expenses such as housing and meals.

  • Kentucky: $188.22 or $203.28 per calendar day in session for lawmakers whose terms began before or after 2023, respectively. There are 60-day sessions in even-numbered years; session is 30 days in odd-numbered years. The per diem is 110% of standard Kentucky rate from the General Services Administration.

  • Louisiana: $16,800 annual salary; $166 per diem is tied to the General Administration Services rate for Baton Rouge. $500 per month for expenses "in connection with the holding or conduct of their office."

  • Maine: $16,245.12 is the annual salary for the odd-numbered year (first) legislative session of the biennium, $11,668.32 is the salary for the even-numbered year. The per diem is $38 for lodging and $32 for meals. Lawmakers can opt for 46 cents per mile up to $38 in lieu of lodging.

  • Maryland: $54,437 annual salary. Under a compensation commission plan, the salary increases every year through 2026. Per diem is based on the current Annapolis rate for Maryland from the General Services Administration: $115 for lodging, $69 for meals.

  • Massachusetts: $73,655.01 annual salary. Legislators' pay rises every two years based on the increase in the state's median household income under Article CXVIII of the state constitution. Expense allowances are set by law, and is $20,000 for lawmakers living more than 50 miles outside of Boston. For others, it is $15,000. No per diem.

  • Michigan: $71,685 annual salary; no per diem; annual expense allowance of $10,800.

  • Minnesota: $51,750 annual salary; $66 per diem for representatives, $86 per diem for senators.

  • Mississippi: $10,000 annual salary, plus $1,500 allowance for each month not in session. The law setting pay is Mississippi Code 5-1-41. The per diem is the standard Mississippi rate from the General Services Administration.

  • Missouri: $39,264 annual salary; $132.80 per diem. Per diem is set by law as 80% of the standard Missouri rate set by the General Services Administration.

  • Montana: $104.86 daily salary for session days and interim committee days; $171 per diem. Daily salary will increase to $128.88 in 2025.

  • Nebraska: $12,000 annual salary; $59 per diem for lawmakers living within 50 miles of the Capitol, $157 per diem for lawmakers more than 50 miles away from the Capitol.

  • Nevada: The minimum daily salary is $130 per session day but for legislators elected on or after November 8, 2006, the compensation is increased by the same percentage as salaries for the state. Contact the legislature for the latest daily salary. The per diem rate is tied to the rate for the Carson City area under the General Services Administration, which is currently $166. Lawmakers meet in odd-numbered years for up to 120 days, but they get paid their salary only for the first 60.

  • New Hampshire: $100 annual salary; no per diem.

  • New Jersey: $49,000; no per diem. In 2026, pay will increase to $82,000.

  • New Mexico: Lawmakers do not receive a salary a per diem only. The per diem is based on the Santa Fe rate from the General Services Administration.

  • New York: $142,000 annual salary; per diem is based on the Albany rates from the General Services Administration.

  • North Carolina: $13,951 annual salary, extra allowance of $6,708.00 and $104 per diem.

  • North Dakota: $592 monthly salary; $205 per diem

  • Ohio: $71,099 annual salary; no per diem. Pay set in 2018 at $63,007 a year but adjusted annually through 2028.

  • Oklahoma: $47,500 annual salary; $174 per diem.

  • Oregon: $35,052 annual salary. Per diem is currently $166 and is set by law as the standard Oregon rate from the General Services Administration.

  • Pennsylvania: $102,844.07 annual salary; $185 per diem (per diem is the Harrisburg rate from the General Services Administration). Pennsylvania has automatic payment increases by law for state officials.

  • Rhode Island: $19,036.68 annual salary; no per diem.

  • South Carolina: $10,400 annual salary; $12,000 "in-district compensation" meant to cover the costs of constituent services, and a per diem based on the rate for Columbia from the General Services Administration. The per diem is currently $176.

  • South Dakota: $13,436 annual salary; $166 per diem for lawmakers. By law, the salary is one-fifth of the state's median household income, as measured by the U.S. Census, and that figure dropped resulting in a lower salary than 2023. The per diem is the standard South Dakota rate from General Services Administration.

  • Tennessee: $28,406 annual salary. Per diem for lawmakers living more than 50 miles from the Capitol get the Nashville rate for meals and lodging based on the General Services Administration rate (currently $312). The per diem for lawmakers living within 50 miles is the General Services Administration meals and incidentals rate for Nashville (currently $79).

  • Texas: $7,200 annual salary; $221 per diem.

  • Utah: $293.55 daily salary for the 45-day session paid in a lump sum; up to $154 per diem reimbursable for eligible expenses including mileage, lodging and meals.

  • Vermont: $843 weekly salary for 18 weeks; $169 per diem. Vermont legislators tried to pass a compensation increase last year that was vetoed by the governor.A bill was introduced last month with a different proposal.

  • Virgnia: $17,640 annual salary for House of Delegates, $18,000 annual salary for Senate. An expense allowance of $1,250 a month for 12 months for "office expenses and supplies." The per diem is a maximum equal to the Richmond rate from the General Services Administration, which is currently $213.

  • Washington: $60,191 annual salary. Salary will increase to $61,997 beginning July 1. Per diem is 89% of General Services Administration rate for Olympia, currently about $202.

  • West Virginia: $20,000 annual salary; $75 per diem for lawmakers who commute each day, $175 per diem for lawmakers who do not commute. (A salary increase beginning in 2025 was approved by lawmakers last year. Contact the legislature for details.)

  • Wisconsin: $57,408 annual salary; optional per diem varies for House, Senate and whether lawmakers live in the county home to the Capitol. Wisconsin seems to regularly raise legislative salaries by a few percent at the start of each biennium.

  • Wyoming: $150 daily salary; $109 per diem (Wyoming was considering a per diem increase, check with legislature on latest developments).

information from the Associated Press was used in this article.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Salaries for state legislators vary widely. Where does NJ stand?