ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL — Being the mayor of a big city comes with its perks, a key to the city and a hefty paycheck among them. Well, at least a virtual key to the city.
A Business Journals' analysis of mayor salaries throughout the United States found wide discrepancies in what a city's CEO can earn on the taxpayers' dime. It may surprise, but a mayor's annual pay often has little to do with the size of the metropolis they manage.
In St. Louis, Mayor Lyda Krewson falls in the middle of the pack, earning $131,820. But take San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who earns the highest base salary in the nation among mayors at $301,000. For comparison, Breed's salary is $119,000 more than what Columbus, Ohio, Mayor Andrew Ginther earns each year, even though San Francisco has just 5,000 more residents than its Midwestern peer.
