News & Politics

Who Makes How Much: Government

Here's what Washingtonians get paid for the work they do

ADMINISTRATION

Barack Obama, President of the United States, $400,000.

Joseph Biden, Vice President, $227,300.

David Axelrod, senior adviser to the President, $179,000.

Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary, $172,200.

Jon Favreau, presidential speechwriter, $172,200.

Valerie Jarrett, senior White House adviser, $172,200.

Reggie Love
, personal aide to President Obama, $102,000.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, $196,700.

Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense, $196,700.

Jack Lew, director designate, White House Office of Management and Budget, $196,700.

>> Next: Congress

CONGRESS

Nancy Pelosi, House speaker, $223,500.

John Boehner, House minority leader, $193,400.

Harry Reid
, Senate majority leader, $193,400.

Senators and representatives, $174,000.

Natasha Eckard
, legislative assistant, Representative Boehner, $41,057.

Kenneth Scott Raab, legislative director, Senator Mitch McConnell, $124,000.

Paul Reagan, chief of staff, Senator Jim Webb, $169,439.

Christina Mulka, press secretary, Senator Richard Durbin, $46,500.

Andrew Speth, chief of staff, Representative Paul Ryan, $140,682.

Vanessa Freeman, outreach coordinator, Representative Eric Cantor, $48,500.

Brandon Bouchard, staff assistant, Senator Olympia Snowe, $35,923.

Margaret Van Hoove, executive assistant, Senator Harry Reid, $72,142.

Bruce Evans
, minority staff director, Senate Appropriations Committee, $171,315.

Ellen Doneski, chief of staff, Senate Commerce Committee, $171,315.

James Billington, Librarian of Congress, $168,000.

>> Next: Local government

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Adrian Fenty, DC mayor, $138,200.

Neil Albert, DC city administrator, $225,000.

Dennis Rubin, DC fire chief, $165,000.

Cathy L. Lanier
, DC police chief, $175,000.

DC Council members, $125,583.

William D. Euille, mayor of Alexandria, $30,500.

Jack B. Johnson, county executive, Prince George’s County, $174,539.

Isiah “Ike” Leggett, county executive, Montgomery County, $175,000.

Nancy Floreen, president, Montgomery County Council, $103,787.

Montgomery County Council members, $94,351.

Timothy Firestine, chief administrative officer, Montgomery County, $266,266.

Anthony H. Griffin, county executive, Fairfax County, $232,086.

James K. Hartmann, city manager, Alexandria, $238,445.

Ralph Moultrie, chief administrative officer, Prince George’s County, $142,629.

Dennis Callahan, chief administrative officer, Anne Arundel County, $161,175.

J. Thomas Manger, police chief, Montgomery County, $216,603.

David M. Rohrer, police chief, Fairfax County, $176,366.

Roberto L. Hylton, police chief, Prince George’s County, $180,000.

Earl L. Cook, police chief, Alexandria, $148,652.

M. Douglas Scott, police chief, Arlington County, $169,457.

Jay Fisette, chairman, Arlington County Board, $53,900.

Barbara Donnellan, county manager, Arlington County, $235,000.

Sharon Bulova, chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, $75,000.

This article first appeared in the November 2010 issue of The Washingtonian.  

Contributing to this article were Marisa M. Kashino, Mary Clare Glover, Zac Farber, Anna Spiegel, Luke Mullins, Mollie Reilly, Elliot Kort, Caitlin Fairchild, Sherri Dalphonse, Emily Leaman, Katie Glueck, Jason Koebler, Cindy Rich, Kate Nerenberg, Denise Kersten Wills, Jack Limpert, Garrett M. Graff, and Ken DeCell.

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Editor in chief

Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986 as an editorial intern, and worked her way to the top of the masthead when she was named editor-in-chief in 2022. She oversees the magazine’s editorial staff, and guides the magazine’s stories and direction. She lives in DC.