Idaho’s 9 Highest Paid State Employees and Their Huge Paychecks Revealed for 2025

For the last few years, we’ve compiled a list of the top paying occupations in the Boise area. When we shared that list on social media, we noticed that many of you had questions about a certain career that DIDN’T appear on the list. 

Let’s be honest, sometimes keyboard warriors on social media can be downright brutal but we do read the comments you leave on our content. Not only have we broken down the top paying professions in the Boise area, we also took a deep dive into Go Banking Rates’ analysis of how much you need to make in each state to be “happy.” 

READ MORE: Boise's Top Paying Jobs From 2024 Revealed 

In 2024, that number was $103,950. According to the Idaho Department of Labor, only 49 of the many careers in Idaho have an average annual salary at or above that number. When we shared that on social media, we immediately got comments asking what our elected officials make and how close they are to that number.

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We were able to track down those numbers for you. Yes, Governor Little makes more than that per year but our state representatives and senators do not. Being a lawmaker in Idaho is a part-time job that actually pays less than what we were making in radio in 2010. (By the way, your first radio gig usually leaves you with just enough money to buy groceries. And by groceries, we mean ramen.) 

There’s an official state website called Transparent Idaho that lists the pay rate for EVERY state employee. We dug up some of our elected officials that you might be interested in.

• Idaho Supreme Court Justices: $169,508
• Idaho Court of Appeals Judges: $161,508
• Idaho District Judges: $155,508
• Governor Little: $151,400 
• Raul Labrador, Attorney General: $146,730
• Phil McGrane, Secretary of State: $128,690
• Brandon Woolf, State Controller: $128,690
• Julie Ellsworth, State Treasurer: $128,690 
• Debbie Critchfield, Superintendent of Public Instruction: $128,690
• Idaho State Senators: $25,000
• Idaho House Representatives: $25,000

And you know what’s VERY interesting? Even those at the top of this list are nowhere near the top earning state employees in Idaho. We narrowed that list down to the Top 9 and every single one of them works at one of Idaho’s universities. 

Before we break it down, we do need to point out that per a 2022 statement given to the Idaho Press, Boise State’s coaches are not state funded. The statement explains they’re paid through program revenue, sponsorships and donors.