Who's earning more than your governor?

CareerBuilder

For many people, a job title such as governor is synonymous with a high salary. After all, many governors go on to become president, so you might assume such a prestigious post earns a hefty paycheck. But surprisingly, while this position definitely earns a prettier penny than many workers, it isn't necessarily the highest-grossing job in the state. In fact, if money is what you're after, you're more likely to earn a higher salary as a chief justice of the state supreme court or coaching a university's football team.

The salary for governors isn't on the rise, either. The average salary of U.S. governors slipped 0.4 percent from $131,114 in 2009 to $130,595 last year, according to the Council of State Governments' compensation survey for last year.

We did some digging to find employees in each state who are making more than their governors and how much they earn compared with average state salaries. Here's what we found:

Alabama

State mean annual salary*: $38,590

Governor's annual salary**: $112,895

State employee earning more than the governor: Luther Strange, Alabama's newly-elected attorney general, will make a base salary of $168,003, according to Alabama news site al.com.

Alaska

State mean annual salary: $50,350

Governor's annual salary: $125,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Dana Fabe, Alaska's former chief justice, earned a yearly salary of $180,048, according to the Alaska Department of Administration.

Arizona

State mean annual salary: $42,390

Governor's annual salary: $95,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Dennis Erickson, Arizona State University college football coach, receives a base compensation of $1.5 million, according to USATODAY.com.

Arkansas

State mean annual salary: $35,460

Governor's annual salary: $87,352

State employee earning more than the governor: Bobby Petrino, head football coach at the University of Arkansas, earns $3.56 million annually, according to The Associated Press.

California

State mean annual salary: $50,730

Governor's annual salary: $173,987

State employee earning more than the governor: The head parole psychiatrist at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation made $838,706 in 2010, according to Controller John Chiang's updated database.

Colorado

State mean annual salary: $46,770

Governor's annual salary: $90,000

State employee earning more than the governor: According to the University of Colorado website, when Bruce Benson assumed the role of the University of Colorado presidency in 2008, he was set to earn an annual salary of $378,000.  

Connecticut

State mean annual salary: $51,920

Governor's annual salary: $150,000

State employee earning more than the governor: James Calhoun, men's basketball coach at the University of Connecticut, made $2.36 million in 2010, according to the Yankee Institute's website, CTSunlight.org.

Delaware

State mean annual salary: $46,870

Governor's annual salary: $171,000

State employee earning more than the governor: According to delawaretoday.com, the 2011 fiscal year base salary for Gerard Gallucci, medical director of Health and Social Services, is $205,750.

Florida

State mean annual salary: $40,270

Governor's annual salary: $132,932

State employee earning more than the governor: Commissioner of Education Gerard Robinson earns $275,000 annually, according to TampaBay.com.

Georgia

State mean annual salary: $42,270

Governor's annual salary: $139,339

State employee earning more than the governor: Head coach Mark Richt, of the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team, earns a base salary of $2.81 million, according to USATODAY.com.

Hawaii

State mean annual salary: $43,740

Governor's annual salary: $123,480

State employee earning more than the governor: Greg "Coach Mack" McMackin, head football coach at the University of Hawaii Manoa, will earn $1.1 million through 2013, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat.

Idaho

State mean annual salary: $38,600

Governor's annual salary: $115,348

State employee earning more than the governor: Leon Rice, Boise State University head basketball coach, signed a five-year contract for $400,000 a year in March of 2010, according to Arbiter Online.

Illinois

State mean annual salary: $46,450

Governor's annual salary: $177,500

State employee earning more than the governor: William Wood, the assistant medical director and staff psychiatrist at the Singer Mental Health Center in Rockford, Ill., earned $361,439 in 2010, according to WIFR.com.

Indiana

State mean annual salary: $39,020

Governor's annual salary: $95,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Kevin Wilson, new head coach of the Indiana University football team, signed a seven-year deal that will pay him $1.2 million per year, according to Indiana Hoosiers, the official site of Indiana athletics.  

Iowa

State mean annual salary: $37,730

Governor's annual salary: $130,000

State employee earning more than the governor: University of Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz is guaranteed $3.65 million annually through 2020, according to the Des Moines Register state-salary database.

Kansas

State mean annual salary: $39,290

Governor's annual salary: $110,707

State employee earning more than the governor: Executive Vice Chancellor Barbara Frajola Atkinson, at the University of Kansas Medical Center, rakes in $547,112 annually, according to Kansas.com.

Kentucky

State mean annual salary: $37,970

Governor's annual salary: $145,885

State employee earning more than the governor: Arthur "Arch" L. Gleason, Jr., president and CEO of the Kentucky Lottery, earns a salary of $226,800, reports The Courier-Journal.

Louisiana

State mean annual salary: $37,980

Governor's annual salary: $130,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Louisiana State University President John Lombardi earns $550,000 annually, reports WDSU.com.

Maine

State mean annual salary: $39,470

Governor's annual salary: $70,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Sunshinereview.org reports that former Treasurer of State David Lemoine earned $83,844 in 2010.

Maryland

State mean annual salary: $50,880

Governor's annual salary: $150,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Former State Police Superintendent Col. Terrence B. Sheridan grossed $160,788 in 2010, reports The Baltimore Sun.

Massachusetts

State mean annual salary: $53,700

Governor's annual salary: $140,535

State employee earning more than the governor: Derek W. Kellogg, head men's basketball coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, received $498,215 in 2010, as reported by Masslive.com.

Michigan

State mean annual salary: $43,280

Governor's annual salary: $177,000

State employee earning more than the governor: According to Crain's Detroit Business, newly-hired University of Michigan football coach Brady Hoke is set to receive a 2011 base salary of $300,000, augmented by $1.7 million in potential additional compensation.

Minnesota

State mean annual salary: $45,470

Governor's annual salary: $120,303

State employee earning more than the governor: The Star Tribune reports that Lee Ehmke, director of the Minnesota Zoo, earns an annual salary of $155,792.

Mississippi

State mean annual salary: $33,930

Governor's annual salary: $122,160

State employee earning more than the governor: Mississippi State head football coach Dan Mullen earned $1.2 million in 2010, as reported by USATODAY.com.

Missouri

State mean annual salary: $39,780

Governor's annual salary: $133,821

State employee earning more than the governor: Dr. Hungi Sripal, a doctor at one of Missouri's psychiatric institutions, earns an annual salary of $320,598, according to The Associated Press.

Montana

State mean annual salary: $36,060

Governor's annual salary: $100,121

State employee earning more than the governor: University of Montana President Royce Engstrom earns $280,000 annually, as reported by The Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

Nebraska

State mean annual salary: $38,300

Governor's annual salary: $105,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Ellen Marie Weissinger, University of Nebraska-Lincoln's senior vice chancellor, will collect a salary of $275,500 in the fiscal period July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. This is according to the University of Nebraska personnel roster.

Nevada

State mean annual salary: $41,220

Governor's annual salary: $141,000

State employee earning more than the governor: William Zamboni, chairman of the surgery department at the University of Nevada, Reno, took in $1.37 million in 2010, according to TransparentNevada.

New Hampshire

State mean annual salary: $44,450

Governor's annual salary: $113,834

State employee earning more than the governor: Richard Gustafson, former chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire, made $162,500, according to NH.gov.

New Jersey

State mean annual salary: $50,730

Governor's annual salary: $175,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano receives a $2 million salary, according to an article from The New York Times.

New Mexico

State mean annual salary: $40,050

Governor's annual salary: $110,000

State employee earning more than the governor: New Mexico State University President Barbara Couture receives $385,000 annually, according to Las Cruces Sun-News.

New York

State mean annual salary: $51,700

Governor's annual salary: $179,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Kevin Broadus, head basketball coach for SUNY- Binghamton, earned $1.03 million last year, according to Business Insider.

North Carolina

State mean annual salary: $40,500

Governor's annual salary: $139,590

State employee earning more than the governor: Dr. Larry Wheeler, Director of the North Carolina Museum of Art, earns a salary of $286,000, reports The Charlotte Observer.    

North Dakota

State mean annual salary: $37,040

Governor's annual salary: $105,036

State employee earning more than the governor: Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle earned $133,968 in 2010, according to Sunshinereview.org.

Ohio

State mean annual salary: $40,890

Governor's annual salary: $144,269

State employee earning more than the governor: The Sunshinereview.org reports that Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor earned $150,850 in 2010.

Oklahoma

State mean annual salary: $36,940

Governor's annual salary: $147,000

State employee earning more than the governor: In 2010, Robert Stoops, head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team, earned $4.04 million, according to the Tulsa World database of Higher Education Payroll.

Oregon

State mean annual salary: $43,550

Governor's annual salary: $93,600

State employee earning more than the governor: Dr. Rupert Goetz, newly-appointed chief medical officer at Oregon State Hospital, is set to earn $240,000 annually, according to StatesmanJournal.com.

Pennsylvania

State mean annual salary: $43,050

Governor's annual salary: $174,914

State employee earning more than the governor: The 2010 salary of Chief Justice Ronald Castille was $191,876, according to Sunshinereview.org.

Rhode Island

State mean annual salary: $45,920

Governor's annual salary: $117,817

State employee earning more than the governor: Rhode Island Chief Justice Paul Suttell earned $167,644 in 2010, according to Sunshinereview.org.

South Carolina

State mean annual salary: $37,920

Governor's annual salary: $106,078

State employee earning more than the governor: Jay Moskowitz, professor at the University of South Carolina, earns $392,135, as reported by TheState.com.

South Dakota

State mean annual salary: $34,390

Governor's annual salary: $115,348

State employee earning more than the governor: According to Sunshinereview.org, Chief Justice David Gilbertson earned a 2010 salary of $120,173.

Tennessee

State mean annual salary: $38,330

Governor's annual salary: $170,340

State employee earning more than the governor: Derek Dooley, head football coach at the University of Tennessee, received a compensation of $2.11 million in 2010, as reported by USATODAY.com.

Texas

State mean annual salary: $42,220

Governor's annual salary: $150,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Mack Brown, head football coach at the University of Texas at Austin, earned $2.5 million in 2010, according to the Texas Tribune.

Utah

State mean annual salary: $40,120

Governor's annual salary: $109,900

State employee earning more than the governor: Christine Durham, chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court, earned $147,350 in 2010, according to Sunshinereview.org.

Vermont

State mean annual salary: $42,030

Governor's annual salary: $142,542

State employee earning more than the governor: Chief Medical Examiner Steven Shapiro is expected to earn $163,779 in fiscal year 2012, according to vttransparency.org.

Virginia

State mean annual salary: $47,840

Governor's annual salary: $175,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Frank Beamer, head football coach at Virginia Tech, earned $2.04 million base compensation in 2010, according to USATODAY.com.

Washington

State mean annual salary: $48,940

Governor's annual salary: $166,891

State employee earning more than the governor: University of Washington head football coach Steve Sarkisian was the top-paid Washington state employee in 2010, with $1.98 million in gross pay, according to the Office of Financial Management.

West Virginia

State mean annual salary: $35,370

Governor's annual salary: $95,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Former University of West Virginia head football coach Bill Stewart received $903,000 in University compensation in 2010, according to USATODAY.com.

Wisconsin

State mean annual salary: $40,980

Governor's annual salary: $137,092

State employee earning more than the governor: In 2010, the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Bret Bielema received $1.7 million for his job as head football coach, according to USATODAY.com.

Wyoming

State mean annual salary: $41,510

Governor's annual salary: $105,000

State employee earning more than the governor: Former Attorney General Bruce Salzburg earned $137,000 in 2010, according to Sunshinereview.org.

*According to the May 2010 National Compensation Survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics **According to the Council of State Governments' 2010 compensation survey