Panel adopts proposed 2-year salary freeze for Gov. Bob Ferguson; final vote in February
Oct 16, 2026, 11:21 AM | Updated: 4:04 pm
Governor Bob Ferguson speaks at a podium regarding the House and Senate budget proposals. (Photo courtesy of Governor Bob Ferguson via Flickr Creative Commons)
(Photo courtesy of Governor Bob Ferguson via Flickr Creative Commons)
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson would not get a pay raise for the next two years under a proposed salary schedule adopted by a citizen commission Thursday.
According to The Washington State Standard, a state citizen commission voted to recommend freezing his salary at more than $234,000 a year, citing the state’s strained finances and recent contracts that gave state workers no across-the-board raises.
The panel also recommended freezing pay for the attorney general and lieutenant governor, but proposed raises for several other elected officials.
The commission will gather public comments over the next four months. It could revise the proposed schedule before taking final action Feb. 10.
Ferguson received a 7% raise over the summer, bumping his salary to $234,275.
Bob Ferguson among highest-paid governors
According to The Washington State Standard, Ferguson’s 7% pay bump over the summer came from an independent commission created by voters in 1987 — not the politicians themselves. The creation of the Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials ended the practice of politicians deciding their own pay.
The Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials is a panel of unelected individuals that sets and approves elected officials’ salaries in the state every two years. In March 2025, the commission awarded double-digit pay hikes for the offices of the governor, attorney general, and state lawmakers.
Ferguson received a similar pay bump last year. Combined, he’s netting approximately $30,000 more than when he was first sworn in as governor.
Attorney General Nick Brown got the same increase.
State lawmakers also received 7% raises, bringing their pay to about $72,500.
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What governors make across the US
The average annual salary is $171,479, but state governors’ salaries vary widely, with the lowest-paid earning $70,000 and the highest more than $250,000.
For example, Maine Governor Janet Mills earns $70,000, the lowest among all 50 states, while Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro earns the highest salary at $253,870, according to Business Insider.
Only two other states have governors earning less than $100,000 — Arizona and Oregon.
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