The California governor salary is $245,929 per year as of December 1, 2025. That figure is set by an independent commission, adjusts on its own each year, and sits alongside benefits like state-funded security, CalPERS retirement, and reimbursed official travel.
The Current Salary
The $245,929 base took effect on December 1, 2025, up from $242,295 during the 2024–2025 period.1California Department of Human Resources. CCCC Salaries That’s roughly a 1.5 percent increase, in line with the modest annual bumps that have followed a stretch of frozen pay during the state’s early-2010s budget crises.
The official rate and what the governor actually pockets can differ. In 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom publicly declined a 3.5 percent raise the commission had approved, citing the state’s budget situation. The commission’s number still went on the books as the salary for the office; Newsom personally chose not to take the increase.
Who Sets the Salary
The California Citizens Compensation Commission controls pay for the governor, the legislature, and every statewide constitutional officer. Voters created it through a 1990 constitutional amendment that added Article III, Section 8 to the state constitution, moving salary decisions away from the officials whose paychecks were at stake.
Seven members, all appointed by the governor to staggered six-year terms, review economic conditions each year and vote on adjustments. Their decisions take effect automatically. No legislative vote is required, and the governor cannot veto the outcome. Because terms are staggered across administrations, no single governor typically controls a majority of seats.
Benefits Beyond the Paycheck
Security
The California Highway Patrol’s Protective Services Division provides round-the-clock security for the governor and immediate family.2California Highway Patrol. Protective Services Division The cost is substantial but doesn’t appear as a line item in the governor’s compensation; it sits inside the CHP’s overall budget.
Housing
California’s arrangement here is unusual. The historic Governor’s Mansion at 16th and H Streets in Sacramento, built in 1877 and bought by the state in 1903, now operates as a State Historic Park, and no governor has lived there since the 1960s.3California State Parks. Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park A newer residence exists, but governors have used it inconsistently. Some rely on state-provided housing; others keep private residences and commute. The practical value of the housing benefit varies from one administration to the next.
Travel
Official travel is reimbursed under the same rules that apply to other state employees: costs must be “reasonably, actually, and necessarily incurred” while on state business.4California Department of Human Resources. Travel Reimbursements Transportation, meals, lodging, and personal vehicle mileage all qualify. Rates function as ceilings rather than flat allowances, and receipts must be produced on audit. Out-of-state and international travel qualify when tied to official duties, which for a governor regularly includes trade missions, disaster coordination, and intergovernmental meetings.
Retirement
The governor participates in the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. CalPERS calculates pensions from years of service, age at retirement, and final compensation, so a governor who serves two full four-year terms accumulates eight years of service credit. That’s a short tenure compared to career state workers, and the pension itself is modest as a result.
The retiree health benefit often matters more over time. As of 2026, the state’s monthly contribution toward retiree health coverage ranges from $867 to $2,638, depending on the plan formula and whether the retiree covers just themselves or a family.5California Department of Human Resources. Retiree Health Benefits Continued access to that coverage can represent substantial savings over individual insurance on the open market.
How It Compares
Within California, the governor sits at the top of the constitutional officer pay scale. As of December 1, 2025:1California Department of Human Resources. CCCC Salaries
- Governor: $245,929
- Attorney General: $213,617
- Superintendent of Public Instruction: $213,617
- State Controller: $196,743
- State Treasurer: $196,743
- Insurance Commissioner: $196,743
- Lieutenant Governor: $184,447
- Secretary of State: $184,447
State legislators earn $134,694 under the same commission framework, with the Assembly Speaker and Senate President pro Tem at $154,896.1California Department of Human Resources. CCCC Salaries
Nationally, California’s figure ranks near the top. New York leads at $250,000, with California close behind. The national average is around $149,000, so California pays its governor roughly 65 percent above the typical state, and some states pay their governors under $80,000. California has the country’s largest state economy, more than 39 million residents, and a state budget that regularly tops $300 billion, and the commission benchmarks against comparable executive roles in the private sector when it sets the rate.