Retirement

What does a governor make in retirement?

The benefits available to state governors vary considerably across the 50 states. Find out how much a governor makes in retirement in the following states.

3 min read

There are 50 states in the United States, and each state is headed by a governor, who is also the chief executive officer of the state. Each state manages its own finances and has different pension programs for the state employees, including the governor. Depending on the size of the state and its population, the state governor's benefits vary to a large extent.

Every state pays different retirement benefits to its former governors. Most states pay their former governors a pension based on their age, salary, and years of service, including in other public service roles. For example, the governor of Connecticut earns $5,000 in annual pension multiplied by the number of years they served as governor, while the governor of Maine receives a pension equal to 3/8 of their salary as governor.

Retirement benefits of governors by state

Here are the retirement benefits that governors earn in retirement in select states:

California

The pension paid to a California governor is based on their years of service and the salary they earned while in office. For the governor and lieutenant governor, the pension is capped at 40% of their final salary if they serve for one to eight years, or 60% of the final salary if they served for 24 years or more. A governor must have served at least 4 years and attained the age of 55 to retire.

Former Gov. Jerry brown draws $120,000 a year in pension benefits for his five decades of public service. Gov. Gray Davis collects $140,767 a year in pension benefits, while Gov. Pete Wilson receives $77,051 a year. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger does not receive a pension since he waived his salary during his term as Governor.

Texas

State employees, including the governor, are eligible for ERS pension benefits if when they attain age 65 with at least five years of service or any combination of age and years of service, and meet the Rule of 80 with at least five years of service.

Former Gov. Rick Perry received a pension of $92,000 when he retired as a state employee while still serving as governor, a practice known as double-dipping. In total, his take-home pay was $240,000.

Connecticut

A state law passed in 1972 provides a special annual pension for former governors when they reach age 55. Former governors are eligible to receive a yearly pension of $5,000 multiplied by the number of years they served as governor. They also receive annual cost of living adjustments.

Former Gov. John Rowland received a $50,000 annual pension for his 10 years as governor when he resigned from office. Had he completed a full second term, the former governor would have received a $60,000 pension for 12 years of service.

New York

New York state employees are eligible to receive a pension at age 62, or age 55 with 30 years of credited service.

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo receives a $50,000 annual pension for his 15 years of service; 11 years as governor and 4 years as state attorney general. Cuomo will also receive a 1.4% cost of living adjustment on his pension benefits.

Alabama

The governor of Alabama is not eligible to receive a pension based on their term. However, a former governor may receive a pension for other roles in the federal or state government.

Previously, a 1975 law allowed former governors to collect a pension equal to 68% of their salary if they served one term, or 100% of their salary if they served two or more terms. However, in 1977, the Alabama Supreme Court declared this law unconstitutional because it violated the constitution.

Illinois

Illinois pays benefits based on the governor's annual salary and creditable years of service. A state employee is eligible to receive benefits at age 62 with 4 years of service, or age 55 with 8 years of service.

Former Gov. Pat Quinn receives $141,277 in annual pension benefits, while former Gov. James Thompson receives $156,458 in annual pension benefits. Former Gov. George Ryan received $197,028 in annual pensions, but the pension payments were terminated after his successful corruption prosecution conviction.

Indiana

A former governor receives a pension equal to 30% of their annual salary if they begin receiving benefits on or after age 62 but before age 65. If the former governor waits until they are age 65 to start receiving benefits, they will receive a pension equal to 40% of the governor’s annual salary for the remainder of their life.

Former Vice President Mike Spence, who also served as governor of Indiana, is eligible to receive 30% of his governor's salary for the rest of his life. This means he will collect $35,000 in annual pension starting from age 62. If he waits until age 65, he will earn 40% of his governor's salary as an annual pension.

Maine

Maine governor’s salary ranks last among the 50 states, and former governors are eligible to receive pension benefits upon reaching age 60. The amount of benefits a former governor earns in retirement is equal to 3/8 of the annual governor’s salary. Based on the current salary, a former governor is eligible to receive $26,250 in annual pension.

Oklahoma

State employees, including the governor, are eligible to receive retirement benefits based on their age, salary, and years of service. The retirement benefits that governors receive are based on meeting the full retirement age. A governor can also opt to receive reduced benefits if they retire early.

Former Gov. Mary Fallin collects $176,000 in annual pensions, $30,000 more than her salary as governor. The higher annual benefits are due to a special provision that allows state workers to legally roll non-elected service in with the elected service when calculating pensions.