Canadian Provinces Pay Politicians at Least Double What US States Do: Study

The flags of Canada and the United States fly outside a hotel in downtown Ottawa, on Feb. 1, 2025. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Canadian provincial politicians receive significantly higher salaries compared to their American counterparts, earning more than two times the pay of most U.S. state representatives, a new study suggests.

The data originates from the “Subnational Politician Pay Report” by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), a comprehensive study that compares both the median and average salaries of provincial and state politicians in Canada and the United States.

The median Canadian provincial politician earned $113,637 in 2025—more than two-and-a-half times the $45,002 earned by the median U.S. state representative, the report found. The median is the exact middle number when all of the salaries are put in order from smallest to largest.

The average salary was slightly higher for both, however. Provincial politicians had an average salary of $115,378 when adding all of the pay rates together and dividing by the total number of salaries. The average rate of pay for a U.S. state politician came in at $58,241.

Eighteen percent of American representatives earned more than $100,000 last year, compared to 70 percent of provincial politicians in Canada who reached this threshold, according to the report written by the CTF’s Ontario director Noah Jarvis.

Only a few U.S. states topped pay in Canada’s provinces, the report found. New York, California, and Pennsylvania ranked as the top three on the 2025 base salary chart, trailed by Ontario and Quebec. They were followed by Illinois, Alberta, Alaska, and British Columbia.

Massachusetts was in 10th place, followed by Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island were not far behind, holding the 17th, 18th, and 22nd ranks, respectively.

Prince Edward Island earned the least of all the provinces at $86,924 last year, compared to last place New Mexico, which functions with an unsalaried, volunteer legislature.

“Politicians often argue they should give themselves bigger salaries to attract talented people to run for political office,” Jarvis wrote. “If it’s true, jurisdictions with high-paid politicians should perform better. In reality, there is little correlation between jurisdictions that pay politicians handsomely and better outcomes for taxpayers.”

Jarvis argued that many U.S. states are outperforming Canadian provinces despite limiting the salaries of its politicians.

He used Texas as an example, noting that its population of 31.7 million is far greater than any Canadian province but its state representative receives only $10,331 as a salary—91 percent lower than what the average provincial politician is paid.

Despite this, Texas is wealthier on a per-person basis than any of Canada’s provinces, with a GDP per capita of $88,517, he found. North Dakota also ranked low on the list of salaries, paying just $10,193 a year, yet it also surpassed every Canadian province in GDP per capita.

“Of the 19 American states with a higher GDP per capita than all Canadian provinces, 13 of those states pay their representatives less than any Canadian province,” Jarvis said, noting that New Mexico is also wealthier than eight of 10 Canadian provinces, despite not paying its representatives at all.

The CTF also noted certain provinces have a low population and low GDP per capita but higher MLA salaries.

Alberta MLAs were paid $123,838 in 2025, ranking as the third highest compensation among provincial politicians in Canada. In comparison, Colorado, which is nearly equivalent in size to Alberta, offers approximately $66,000 in pay, however, its GDP per capita ranks it 10th on the list. Alberta boasts the highest GDP among Canadian provinces, but only placed 20th overall when competing with U.S. states.

British Columbia placed ninth for MLA salaries—$119,500 in 2025—but was the 15th lowest in GDP per capita and fourth highest in top marginal tax rate.

Jarvis also noted that Ontario MPPs are paid significantly more than most of their counterparts, earning an average of $157,350 in 2025, even as Ontario’s economy has lagged behind many U.S. states where legislators earn less.

The average Ontarian is poorer than the average American in 43 of the 50 states, while Ontario MPPs earn more than legislators in 40 of the 43 states with a higher GDP per capita than Ontario, he said.