Who’s highest‐paid in your state?
State-by-state breakdown
Who's the most powerful person in your state? Well, based on public employee salaries, it's likely a college coach (sorry, governors). A whopping 28 college football coaches are the best-paid employees in their states, along with 12 college hoops coaches who top the state payrolls. Check out the map below to find your state's top-earning public official, plus the governor's salary.
(interactive map)
North Carolina
Roy Williams, UNC men's basketball coach $3.3M
Roy Cooper, governor $144.4K
Median household income in dollars $52,752
Number of median income people needed to match Williams' salary 63
South Carolina
Dabo Swinney, Clemson football coach $9.3M
Henry McMaster, governor $106.1K
Median household income in dollars $50,570
Number of median income people needed to match Swinney's salary 184
Tennessee
Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee football coach $3.9M
Bill Lee, governor $119.1K
Median household income in dollars $51,340
Number of median income people needed to match Pruitt's salary 75
Money men
Notice any familiar names on this list of the 40 highest-paid coaches at public colleges? You should -- Nick Saban, Dabo Swinney and Jim Harbaugh have been on it for years. But some others (hello, Dan Hurley) crack the list for the first time.
Dabo Swinney, Clemson $9.3M
John Calipari, Kentucky $9.3M (hoops)
Nick Saban, Alabama $8.9M
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan $7.5M
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M $7.5M
Kirby Smart, Georgia $6.9M
Jeff Brohm, Purdue $6.6M (unranked)
Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma $6.4M
Dan Mullen, Florida $6.1M
James Franklin, Penn State $5.7M
(more at link)