Legislative Comparisons
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSC) surveys all states every other year and publishes its findings.
Click on Legislative Comparisons to view how Washington's legislators' salaries compare with their peers in other states. You can also click on how they compare to their peers in the 13 Comparable States.
Also, click on the following links for additional comparison information:
- Exempt Management Service Salary Structure
- Comparison of the Salaries of Legislators Nationally by Time Required to do the job
A key factor in comparing legislator salaries across the country is whether they are full-time, professional legislatures or are part-time and if part-time how much time is required to do the job. Determining that, however, has been difficult because state legislatures are not alike. The National Conference of State Legislatures undertook this task and grouped state legislatures into three colors (red, white, and blue) with some blending of the three where states didn't fit well into a category
Red and Pink states require the most time of their legislators, usually 80% to 100% of a full-time job. In most red states, legislators are paid enough to make a living without requiring outside income. These legislatures are categorized as "professional". Most, but not all, of the largest population states fall in the red category. Eleven states are in this category.
White state legislators typically spend about 70% of a full-time job. Although their income from legislative work is greater than that for blue legislatures, it is usually not enough to allow them to make a living without other sources of income. States in the mid of the population range tend to have white legislatures. Washington is categorized as a white legislature. Twenty-two states are in this category.
Blue and Light Blue state legislators spend about 50% of a full-time job. The compensation they receive is usually quite low and requires them to have other sources of income in order to make a living. Blue legislatures are most often found in the smallest population, more rural states. Seventeen states are in this category.
Visit the National Conference of State Legislatures' web site at
www.ncsl.org for more information about state legislatures.
Legislative leaders have testified before the Salary Commission that the position of Legislator is:
- Becoming more of a full-time job.
- It is very difficult for legislators to obtain and maintain outside employment.
- The salary and time required to do the job significantly limit the people who are willing and able to serve.
These and other factors result in a Legislature in which only the financially secure are able to serve and one that is not reflective of the diversity of our citizens.