The Mayor of Washington, DC earns a salary of $250,000 per year, a rate the DC Council set effective January 2, 2023.1D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 1-611.09 – Compensation — Mayor and Members of Council; Attorney General The figure is written into statute and will not move until the Council passes new legislation to change it.
DC Code § 1-611.09 is explicit that the Mayor’s compensation “shall not be subject to step, cost of living, or other increases.”1D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 1-611.09 – Compensation — Mayor and Members of Council; Attorney General So the $250,000 figure is a fixed number, not a floor that climbs with inflation. Pay is issued in equal installments across the year.
How the Number Gets Set
The legal baseline for the Mayor’s pay sits in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, the 1973 federal law that created DC’s local government. Under DC Code § 1-204.21(d), the Mayor’s compensation defaults to the maximum rate for Level III of the federal Executive Schedule, which pays $209,600 in 2026.2D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 1-204.21 – Election, Qualifications, Vacancy, and Compensation The Council can raise or lower the salary from that baseline by passing legislation, and that is how the current $250,000 rate came about.
The Mayor cannot set their own pay. Any change requires a Council vote through the normal legislative process.2D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 1-204.21 – Election, Qualifications, Vacancy, and Compensation Congress also has authority to review Council legislation before it takes effect and retains control over the District’s budget, so a salary change approved locally could in theory be blocked at the federal level.
Benefits Beyond the Base Pay
DC has no official mayoral residence. There is no government-owned home that comes with the office. Mayor Muriel Bowser lives in a private residence, which the District has outfitted with security upgrades including cameras, reinforced doors and windows, and a Metropolitan Police Department post, but the property itself belongs to the Mayor personally.
The Mayor does receive a Metropolitan Police Department security detail for travel around the city and appearances at public events, and the District provides official transportation for professional duties. These are funded through the District’s annual budget.
How DC’s Pay Compares
The President of the United States earns $400,000 per year plus a $50,000 expense allowance.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 3 U.S.C. 102 – Compensation of the President DC’s $250,000 sits well below that, but comfortably above the $209,600 Executive Schedule Level III rate the Home Rule Act would otherwise default to.
Among big-city counterparts, the Mayor of New York City earns $258,750, slightly above DC. Los Angeles has had its mayoral salary in flux due to budget pressures, with the base rate hovering around $300,000 before a proposed pay cut tied to the city’s deficit. DC’s figure falls within the range typical for leaders of large, high-cost American cities.
Inside DC government, Council members earn a base salary of $115,000, and unlike the Mayor’s pay, their compensation does receive annual cost-of-living adjustments tied to the Washington-area Consumer Price Index.1D.C. Law Library. District of Columbia Code 1-611.09 – Compensation — Mayor and Members of Council; Attorney General
Retirement Eligibility
DC’s elected officials participate in the District’s retirement system. Employees hired on or after October 1, 1987, who retire from District service can continue their health insurance coverage if they completed at least 10 consecutive years of service and contributed to the health plan for the five consecutive years immediately before retirement.4District of Columbia Retirement Board. District of Columbia Employees Health Benefits Program A Mayor who serves fewer than 10 years would not meet that threshold for retiree health coverage under the standard rules. Pension benefits follow the District’s general formulas, with specifics depending on length of service and when the official entered the system.