How much do Kentucky's governor and other elected officials make? Here's a list

Soon, voters in the commonwealth will come together to decide who to give job offers to – otherwise known as Election Day.

But how much do Kentucky elected officials make?

The Courier Journal dove into publicly available data ahead of the election to compare what the governor, state elected officials, Kentucky legislators and U.S. legislators representing Kentucky all make.

Some of the members of this list are part of Kentucky state government, while others are part of the U.S. government, representing Kentucky. And not all of these roles are on the ballot in 2023, but we thought it was worth a look.

Kentucky governor's salary

One of the most hotly contested items on the 2023 ballot is the race to be Kentucky's next governor, the highest elected office on the state level. Incumbent Andy Beshear, a Democrat, is facing Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican, for the role.

Beshear makes $174,216.48 per year as governor, according to data obtained from the state government salary database.

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Salaries for Kentucky's elected officers

There are six main state-elected officers: Lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state auditor, treasurer and agriculture commissioner. They are all on the ballot next week.

The current officeholders all make the exact same amount of money – down to the cent – at $148,108.56 a year. This means that if Cameron wins the governor's race, he'll get over a $25,000 per year pay bump.

Salaries U.S. senators and representatives for Kentucky

Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, both Republicans, represent Kentucky in the U.S. Senate. Kentucky also has six members of the House of Representatives: James Comer, Brett Guthrie, Morgan McGarvey, Thomas Massie, Harold "Hal" Rogers and Garland "Andy" Barr.

While they are elected by Kentuckians, their pay is determined by the national government.

The standard pay for all U.S. senators and representatives is $174,000 a year, but those in leadership roles receive higher salaries. Of the Kentucky representatives, McConnell is the only one who makes more than $174,000. As the minority leader of the Senate, he gets paid an additional $19,400, to hike his salary to $193,400 annually.

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Kentucky General Assembly salaries

The pay for Kentucky legislators isn't as clear-cut as others. Rather than a yearly salary, the politicians are paid per day of the session. In odd years, the session has 30 days and in even ones, it has 60.

Legislators who were sworn in prior to 2023 make $188.22 per day of the session, but the rate per day goes up to $203.28 for those who were sworn in after Jan. 1, 2023.

This means most legislators make between $11,200-$12,200 for a 60-day session, like the one coming up this January.

But they can also make $188.22 per day outside of the session if they spend a day attending committees, subcommittees or special committees, according to the Legislative Handbook.

Kentucky legislators also get $166.10 in daily expense allowances and $1,788.51 per month when the General Assembly is not meeting, the handbook states. They can be reimbursed for their travel to and from the Capitol "one round-trip per week of the session" and receive other allowances, which makes their yearly earnings varied.

Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky government salaries: What governor, state officials are paid