Pew's City Councils Study: Los Angeles Has Highest Salaries

Pew Charitable Trusts just released their study on the largest city councils in the United States, and Los Angeles is number one when it comes to the biggest salaries. The city's salary average clocks in at $178,789, while San Antonio, the city council with the lowest salaries, sets pay at a maximum of "$1,400 per member." Los Angeles' 15-member council was also found to "spend the most per seat," at $1.7 million each and has the lowest rate of elected officials in proportion to the city's population, at one official for every 255,500 residents.

To summarize: we spend the most money on salaries, we spend the most per council seat, and we have the least representation as compared to the 14 other cities in this study of the biggest city councils in the United States.

To read the summary of the entire study, check out City Councils In Philadelphia And Other Major Cities: Who Holds Office, How Long They Serve, And How Much It All Costs (PDF).