Automated Pay Rise Law for Pennsylvania Officials
A Pennsylvania law that ensures automated salary increments for state officials will bring a positive change in the financial status of lawmakers, judges, and top executive branch officials next year.
The statute will result in a significant pay raise of 3.5% in 2024 for over 1,300 officials. These include Governor Josh Shapiro, 253 lawmakers, and seven state Supreme Court justices. The pay increment matches the latest year-over-year increase in consumer price index for mid-Atlantic urban areas, as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Interestingly, this increase is more than what the average Pennsylvanian’s wage increase might be. Federal data on private sector wages reveal that the average year-over-year increase for Pennsylvanians was 2% in the first half of 2023.
Implementation of Higher Salaries
The new, higher salaries, necessitated by a 1995 law, will come into effect on Jan. 1 for the executive and judicial branches, and on Dec. 1 for lawmakers.
Shapiro’s salary will rise to $237,679, while Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Auditor General Tim DeFoor, and Attorney General Michelle Henry will see a pay boost that brings their salaries close to $200,000. The salary increment also extends to members of Shapiro’s Cabinet.
Salary Increase for Judicial Officeholders
Chief Justice Debra Todd, the highest earning judicial officeholder, will see her salary rise to $260,733. Other high court justices will have their salaries rise to $253,360. The raises also apply to 1,000 other appellate, county, and magisterial district judges.
The salaries of the two highest-paid lawmakers, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, and House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, will rise to $166,132. The salary of a standard lawmaker will rise to $106,422.
The salary increase that kicked in this year was the most significant inflationary increase since the enactment of the 1995 law, delivering a 7.8% boost. Private sector wages in Pennsylvania increased by approximately half that amount, according to government data.
Comparison with Private Sector Wage Growth
While government salary increases are happening, wages for private sector workers are also growing, albeit not as quickly.
Despite this, the average wage in Pennsylvania has seen a rise of more than the region’s inflation measure, the mid-Atlantic consumer price index, since 1995. The average wage has seen a 140% increment, while the 1995 law’s inflationary boosts have amplified salaries by about 91%, according to government data.
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