See how much top state officials are paid in North Carolina
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has switched up some members of his cabinet for his second term, and that has meant a few raises but mostly steady salaries.
The governor’s own salary is set by the General Assembly, as are other statewide elected officials on the Council of State. Cabinet members are appointed.
All of the top statewide elected statewide leaders and the governor’s cabinet make six figures, ranging from mid-$100,000s to low $200,000s. Those state salaries are often lower than some municipal salaries, which are also paid by taxpayers.
The highest paid member of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s cabinet is the transportation secretary. Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette’s chief deputy makes as much as the second-highest paid cabinet member, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen, who has become the public face of the state’s coronavirus pandemic response.
Cooper has had some cabinet shifts in his second term that started in January 2021. Here’s what cabinet members and their chief deputies are now making:
▪ Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette: $221,089
Boyette’s chief deputy, Beau Memory, makes $206,284.
▪ Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen: $206,290
▪ Department of Information Technology Secretary James Weaver: $197,402
▪ Public Safety Secretary Erik Hooks: $188,485
▪ Department of Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders: $163,901
Sanders left her previous position as Department of Administration secretary, where she was making $155,525. She replaced Tony Copeland, who was making $163,901.
▪ Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson: $163,901
Wilson served as chief deputy under previous Secretary Susi Hamilton, who was also making $163,901.
▪ Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Dionne Delli-Gatti: $155,526
Delli-Gatti recently replaced former DEQ head Michael Regan, who left to lead the Environmental Protection Agency in President Joe Biden’s administration. Regan made $155,526 at DEQ.
▪ Military and Veterans Affairs Secretary Walter Gaskin: $155,525
Gaskin recently replaced Larry Hall, who also made $155,525.
▪ Revenue Secretary Ronald Penny: $155,525
▪ The position of Administration secretary is currently vacant after Sanders’s departure.
Governor, Council of State salaries
By contrast, other heads of state agencies, who are elected, all make the same salary. Council of State salaries are set by the General Assembly. They last received a raise in a 2019 budget bill. The governor makes more money than the rest of the Council of State, who all make the same amount.
Gov. Roy Cooper: $154,743
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson: $136,699
Attorney General Josh Stein: $136,699
Secretary of State Elaine Marshall: $136,699
Treasurer Dale Folwell: $136,699
Auditor Beth Wood: $136,699
Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson: $136,699
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler: $136,699
Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey: $136,699
Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt: $136,699
View all state government employees’ salaries with our searchable database, updated monthly.
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This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 8:00 AM with the headline "See how much top state officials are paid in North Carolina."