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After attempting a variety of search queries on U.S. governors' salaries, it quickly became apparent it would be difficult to locate any one site that collected current salaries for all 50 governors. Some state administrations chose to openly disclose annual compensation packages online, while others do not. A few governors, such as South Dakota's M. Michael Rounds and Virginia's Mark Warner, have accepted a percentage decrease in pay due to state budget shortfalls. Others, like Tennessee's Phil Bredesen and Massachusetts' Mitt Romney, choose to waive their pay completely. Some notable salary figures we did find: - Frank Murkowski, Alaska -- $86,000
- Linda Lingle, Hawaii -- $94,780
- Ronnie Musgrove, Mississippi -- $101,800
- Rick Perry, Texas -- $115,345
- Jeb Bush, Florida -- $124,175
- Bob Taft, Ohio -- $130,786
- Maryland -- $135,000
- James McGreevey, New Jersey -- $157,000
- Jennifer Granholm, Michigan -- $172,000
- George Pataki, New York -- $179,000
And when Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger takes over from the recalled Gray Davis, he'll be bringing in $175,000 per year, a
far cry from his Hollywood pay but presumably still more than Davis, who took a voluntary 5% pay cut. So while we can't give you a national average, the salaries listed above indicate the general range for a governor. All in all, being governor is not quite as high-paying a job as you might expect.
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