How Much of Your Taxes Goes Towards Politicians’ Paychecks?
Written by
David Nadelle
Edited by
Nicholas Morine
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If you’ve never heard an audience member or random citizen confront a canvassing politician with a shout of “I pay your salary!” you may be a rarity. Politicians have a tough and thankless job, made harder by the reality that their salaries are funded partially by those they serve — and those salaries are often generous compared to those of the average Joe and Jane.
Since 2009, the compensation for most senators, representatives, delegates — and the resident commissioner from Puerto Rico — is $174,000. The only exceptions are the speaker of the House ($223,500), the majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate — and the president pro tempore of the Senate ($193,400) — as well as the president of the United States ($400,000), according to Congressional Research Service.
Salaries are determined according to the Constitution and increases have to be passed through Congress, which hasn’t happened since 2009. However, as Money Digest detailed, “Estimates have congressional salaries, with benefits included, closer to $285,000 a year,” when you factor in fringe benefits, health coverage and pensions and other income streams separate from revenue coming in from taxpayers.
Funding Federal Politicians
According to Money Digest, individual income taxes made up almost half (49%) of the federal government’s revenue in 2023, followed by Social Security and Medicare taxes (36%) and other miscellaneous taxes, fees, leases and sales of resources (15%). Year-to-date in 2024, income tax revenue has jumped to 51%, per Fiscal Data.
Federal spending is fueled by these taxes, plus money borrowed by the country. However, while taxpayers partially pay the wages of politicians, the majority of your taxes support a variety of government programs at every level.
Very little of your money is going to politicians, mostly due to the fact that the U.S. federal budget is divided into different categories, each covering specific areas of government spending. Most of this spending goes to Social Security, Medicare, national defense, health and income security programs every year.
State Politicians’ Salaries
On the state and municipal levels, politicians are paid through state taxpayer money or federal government revenue, and salaries can fluctuate greatly depending on the state. For instance, the salaries of mayors across the country range from $35,254 to $316,724, and the average is $73,136, according to the latest update from Comparably.
Disparate wages can mean a number of things for elected state politicians, from those receiving a base salary for the time they are holding office, to those getting paid only on legislative days, like part-time workers.
Tax rates and rules vary from state to state, so how much you contribute in taxes to support government programs and politicians’ salaries depends largely on where you live.
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