• 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.

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.

Population: 105,611

Mayor: Abdullah Hammoud

Salary: $212,083 in 2026, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.

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.

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.

Population: 649,095

Mayor: Mary Sheffield

Salary: $224,573, as reported by Bridge Detroit, citing city records.

Population: 989,814

Mayor: Matt Mahan

Salary: $226,479 total pay as of 2024, per California state records.

Population: 1,075

Mayor: Ana "Lily" Stefano

Salary: $230,872, as reported by the Miami New Times in 2025.

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.

Population: 2,397,315

Mayor: John Whitmire

Salary: $240,000 in 2025, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.

Population: 1,406,106

Mayor: Todd Gloria

Salary: $244,147 as of 2024, per California state records.

Population: 160,592

Mayor: Richard Bissen

Salary: $245,000, as reported by the Honolulu Civil Beat in 2025.

Population: 693,645

Mayor: Muriel Bowser

Salary: $250,000, according to the District of Columbia law, effective since 2023.

Population: 672,973

Mayor: Michelle Wu

Salary: $250,000 in 2026, as reported by Boston.com.

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.

Population: 8,584,629

Mayor: Zohran Mamdani

Salary: $258,750, as previously reported by Business Insider.

Population: 3,815

Mayor: Bradley Stephens

Salary: $260,000, as reported by the local outlet, the Daily Herald, in 2024.

Population: 1,574,281

Mayor: Cherelle Parker

Salary: $269,708, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2025.

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.

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.

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.

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.