Last year there were 8,853 state government employees who earned more than $100,000. These figures account for the 10.8 percent of all state workers who earned paychecks from the Illinois Comptroller's Office for 2014. These salary figures are tabulated from looking at full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees, according to The State Journal-Register's salary database.
State employees who belong to the "$100,000 Club," as the SJ-R calls it, earned a total of $1.1 billion, or 22.8 percent of the state payroll in 2014. Back in 2010, 4,252 employees made over six figures and accounted for 12.5 percent of the state payroll. Check out SJR's database to see how these numbers have changed in recent years.
Below is a list of the top 20 state employees who had the highest salaries in 2014, according to the SJ-R. Keep in mind the total number of individuals receiving paychecks from the Comptroller's office fluctuates each month and tends to peak in the summer. As of May 2015, roughly 65,000 paychecks were issued to part-time, full-time and seasonal workers.
11 of the highest-paid Illinois state employees (excludes those employed at the state's public universities)
- Salary: $253,375
- Department: Human Services
- Title: Physician (Option C)
- Salary: $254,039
- Department: Veteran Affairs
- Title: Physician (Option B)
- Salary: $256,810
- Department: Human Services
- Title: Physician (Option B)
- Salary: $257,258
- Department: Human Services
- Title: Physician (Option D)
- Salary: $257,502
- Department: Human Services
- Title: Physician (Option D)
- Salary: $257,757
- Department: Human Services
- Title: Physician (Option D)
- Salary: $260,634
- Department: Human Services
- Title: Physician (Option A)
- Salary: $261,055
- Department: Human Services
- Title: Physician (Option A)
- Salary: $262,842
- Department: Human Services
- Title: Physician (Option B)
- Salary: $267,886
- Department: Human Services
- Title: Physician (Option D)
- Salary: $271,833
- Department: Human Services
- Title: Physician (Option D)
To see how much the top nine highest-paid state employees make, including one who earns nearly half a million dollars, check out Reboot Illinois.
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