Even after big win, DeSantis’ salary falls well short on national scale

Florida is doused in red, politically. But the leader of that ruby revolution, Gov. Ron DeSantis, isn't seeing too much green. 

At least not in annual salary compared to governors of other highly-populated states. 

DeSantis, who beat Charlie Crist in the Nov. 8 election by 19 percentage points, earned a salary of $134,181 in 2021. That’s No. 32 nationwide, barely ahead of Indiana’s Eric Holcomb and $4,121 less than Brad Little of Idaho, according to a report from The Council of State Governments. DeSantis, Holcomb and Little are all Republicans, though in most cases, gubernatorial salaries are set by state legislatures or other means, usually with both parties’ input. 

The typical state governor salary, the report found, is between $147,000 and $150,000 a year. The highest-paid governor in the country is Kathy Hochul of New York, who earned $225,000 in 2021, after she took over for former Empire State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had resigned. A Democrat, Hochul won an election for a full, four-year term Nov. 8. The lowest-paid governor nationally is Janet Mills, a Democrat in Maine, the report found. 

In terms of heavily populated states like Florida, California has the second highest paid governor while Pennsylvania has No. 3. Texas is No. 21. 

The Council of State Governments report, analyzed by The Center Square, a Florida news site, is based on data from 2021. DeSantis, it turns out, received a 5.3% raise in 2022: He earned $141,400 in 2022, according to the Florida Has a Right to Know portal on MyFlorida.com.