100KCLUB.jpg

Pennsylvania state government has 5,573 employees who earn $100,000 or more.

Congratulations are due to the 751 newest members of the state government's $100,000 Club. You made it!



To the taxpayers who have to pay for those six-figure earners, well, we hope you feel you are getting your money's worth.

In 2013, the $100,000 Club — of which the overwhelming majority of commonwealth employees have little chance of joining — grew to 5,573 members.

That is nearly 16 percent more from a year ago, when state government had 4,822 six-figure earners.

PennLive updated its 2012 earnings database to reflect the 2013 total compensation for employees of all three branches of state government. Earnings can include overtime, leave payout and bonuses, in addition to salary.

Unlike the salary databases on state government websites, PennLive’s database compiles earnings for all three branches. It also allows users to view the data in various ways, including from highest to lowest, by agency and by an employee's last name.

The highest earner, for those who are curious, is Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency President and CEO James Preston, who made $319,837 this past year. He was one of only three employees who earned in the $300,000 range.

Rounding out the top 10 highest earners are doctors and psychiatrists who work for the Department of Public Welfare, two Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education administrators, and PHEAA’s federal relations director.

The agencies that saw the greatest growth in their six-figure earners were the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Pennsylvania State Police, Department of Corrections, Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and the courts.

But to help ease the minds of taxpayers who foot the bill for these six-figure earnings even though they themselves don’t earn one, just know these folks are the exception in state government.

The average state employee who works for an agency under the governor's jurisdiction in 2013 was $51,439, according to the state government workforce statistics. That is slightly below the state's median household income of $52,267 for 2012, the most recent year this statistic was available from the U.S. Census Bureau.