Salaries for Legislators, Statewide Elected Officials, and County Officers

Overview

This page provides information about elected officials, first for state elected officials and second for county elected officials. 

State Elected Officials

Beginning January 1, 2027, salaries for certain state elected officials are determined based on recommendations made by the Independent State Elected Official Pay Commission. The commission’s recommendations are available in their 2025 report. These salary recommendations, shown in Table 1, apply to the following elected officials:

• members of the Colorado House of Representatives;
• members of the Colorado State Senate;
• the Governor;
• the Lieutenant Governor;
• the Attorney General;
• the Secretary of State; and
• the State Treasurer.

About the Independent State Elected Official Pay Commission

The Independent State Elected Official Pay Commission is an independent body, created by House Bill 24-1059, with members appointed by the Governor and legislative leadership, and supported by the Department of Personnel and Administration. Current and former state officials, as well as their spouses, cannot serve on the commission. The commission meets every four years and submits a report outlining their salary recommendations for the elected officials listed above. Upon submitting this report detailing recommendations and methodologies for determining salaries, each commission member’s term expires. A new commission is appointed every four years, with the next commission appointed by July 31, 2029.

This new commission will make recommendations on any changes to elected official salaries in December 2029. These future salary recommendations will then take effect on January 1, 2031.

Salaries for State Elected Officials

Table 1 lists the current and new 2027 annual salaries for state elected officials. The new salaries take effect on January 1, 2027, and are required by law to be adjusted for inflation each January between 2028 to 2030. 

Salary-Setting Process for State Elected Officials

Previous Process through 2026

Previously, salaries for elected officials were set in state law, with salaries for each position equal to a percentage of a judicial officer’s salary. For example, the salary for members of the General Assembly was set as 25 percent of a county judge’s salary while the Governor’s salary was set as 66 percent of the salary of the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. The 2026 salaries for these positions set under this previous process are shown in Table 1 above as the current salaries.

Current Process 

Under current law, salaries for covered state elected officials are based on the recommendations of the Independent State Elected Official Pay Commission. These recommendations automatically take effect in January of the first year of each gubernatorial term. When making its salary recommendations, the commission is required to consider:

• the amount of compensation paid in government service and in the private sector to persons with similar qualifications;
• the amount of compensation needed to attract and retain experienced and competent persons; and 
• the ability of the State of Colorado to pay the recommended compensation.

Detail on the methodologies used by the commission for setting salaries from 2027 through 2031 is available in their 2025 report. From 2028 through 2030, salaries recommended by the Commission will be adjusted annually for inflation, as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index for Denver-Aurora-Lakewood.