The DC mayor salary is $250,000 a year, a figure the DC Council set through legislation and that took effect on January 2, 2023.1D.C. Law Library. D.C. Law 24-280 – Salary Adjustment Amendment Act of 2022 It stays at that amount until the Council passes a new law changing it.
How the Council Arrived at $250,000
The DC Home Rule Act ties the mayor’s baseline pay to Level III of the federal Executive Schedule, which sits at $209,600 for 2026.2U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Salary Table No. 2026-EX The same statute lets the Council raise or lower that amount by legislation.3D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 1-204.21 – Election, Qualifications, Vacancy, and Compensation The Council used that authority in the Salary Adjustment Amendment Act of 2022, moving the mayor’s pay from $220,000 to $250,000. The law became effective on February 23, 2023.1D.C. Law Library. D.C. Law 24-280 – Salary Adjustment Amendment Act of 2022
The salary is paid in equal periodic installments and is not subject to step increases, cost-of-living adjustments, or any other automatic raises.4D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 1-611.09 – Compensation Mayor and Members of Council; Attorney General That design is why the figure sat at $220,000 from 2019 all the way until the 2023 bump.
When a Pay Change Can Actually Take Effect
Two timing rules shape when a new salary number reaches the mayor. First, the Home Rule Act says any change to mayoral compensation only kicks in at the start of the next mayoral term, not during the current one.3D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 1-204.21 – Election, Qualifications, Vacancy, and Compensation A sitting mayor cannot receive an immediate raise from a friendly Council. The 2022 increase was timed to coincide with the new term beginning January 2, 2023.
Second, every DC law goes to Congress for review before taking effect. Congress has 30 legislative days for most legislation and 60 for criminal measures. If no joint resolution of disapproval passes and gets the president’s signature during that window, the law stands. A salary bill is subject to the same review as any other DC legislation.
Combined, these rules effectively lock the mayor’s pay in four-year blocks.
How DC Compares to Other Big-City Mayors
At $250,000, the DC mayor is paid in the upper tier for a US big-city executive, but not at the top. San Francisco authorizes roughly $383,760, though the current mayor has chosen to forgo that pay. Los Angeles pays about $318,000, calculated as 130 percent of the city council salary.5Controller Data – City of Los Angeles. City Elected Officials Pay Rate New York City pays roughly $258,750, and Chicago about $221,000.
Straight comparisons only go so far. The DC mayor handles both municipal services and the state-level responsibilities most big-city mayors leave to a governor, including Medicaid administration, highway funding, and criminal sentencing policy, all under a layer of congressional oversight no other mayor faces.
What Else Comes With the Job
The $250,000 is just the paycheck. The mayor also receives security protection from the Metropolitan Police Department. The District does not publish detailed annual cost breakdowns, but reporting on prior administrations has described the MPD executive protection unit as roughly a dozen officers assigned to the mayor’s detail, with combined salary and overtime costs running into seven figures. The mayor also has access to District-provided transportation for official duties.
DC does not provide an official residence. Unlike New York City, Los Angeles, or Denver, the District has no mayoral mansion, and the mayor lives in their own home at their own expense.
The Constituent Services Fund
Separate from the salary, the mayor may operate a constituent services program funded by private contributions and used for emergency assistance, educational services, charitable activities, and similar community programs. The limits, set by DC Code § 1-1163.38, are:6D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 1-1163.38 – Constituent Services
- Up to $40,000 in total contributions per calendar year from all sources combined.
- Up to $60,000 in spending per calendar year.
- No more than $500 per calendar year from any one individual or business.
- Donations of personal property valued at fair market value, capped at $1,000 per person per year.
- Unlimited contributions by the mayor to the mayor’s own fund.
These accounts are separate from campaign funds and are reported through the DC Office of Campaign Finance. When a program shuts down, leftover money must either pay off the program’s debts or go to a nonprofit that has operated in DC for at least one year.6D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 1-1163.38 – Constituent Services
What the Mayor Has to Disclose Publicly
Like all DC public officials, the mayor files an annual Public Financial Disclosure Statement with the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability. The filing is due May 15 each year and covers the prior calendar year; officials who leave office file within 90 days of departure. The statement covers financial interests over $1,000 or producing more than $200 in income, outside income and honoraria above $200, business affiliations, agreements for future employment or continued payments from a former employer, personal debts over $1,000 (excluding mortgages and standard consumer credit), and DC real property worth more than $1,000 or producing more than $200 in income, excluding a primary residence. The filings are public records.