Revealed: Hundreds of Idaho Workers Out Earn Governor Little

In most private or public workplaces, the boss is usually the highest-paid employee. There are some notable exceptions, such as sometimes the higher-ups will choose stock options or a percentage of earnings. In Idaho, it's not the governor who is the highest-paid employee but a person who's been on the job for barely over a year.  

The Idaho Press recently shared a report that breaks down the salaries of the state's most expensive employees. Thanks to the legwork of Betsy Russell and the Idaho State Controller, Brandon Wolf, you can see everyone's salary here.  A glance at the report shows that academics is a very lucrative career in Idaho. Brad Little's salary is almost $140,000, which we all agree is an excellent yearly wage. However, according to Wolf and Russell, over four hundred state employees make more money than the governor.  

Why It Pays To Work for a College

Boise State University employees dominate the top ten, with four of the five highest-paid employees in Idaho. Do you believe the taxpayers are getting the proper return on investment from:

Andy Avalos, Bronco Football Coach, $1.4 million

Leon Rice, Men's Basketball Coach, $784,197

Marlene Tromp, Boise State President, $425,006

C Scott Green, University of Idaho President, $419,994

Jeramiah Dickey, Boise State Athletic Director $410,010

Limited Experience Needed for Big Money Idaho Jobs

Have you noticed that all the employees listed above have been in their positions for less than three years? Also, they're all first-year hires. None of the state's highest-paid employees were experienced in their fields; in other words, this is their first time holding their current position. Tromp and Green are first-time presidents, and first-time head coaches Rice and Avalos. Boise State is Dickey's first job as an athletic director. It must be nice to be new to a field and make that money.

The Transparent Idaho site provides everything you'd like to know about what state institutions pay the best salaries. Here's a quick breakdown of where the state's highest-paid employees work:

Boise State University 109 (26.78%)

University of Idaho 82 (20.39%)

Idaho State University 64 (15.72%)

Judicial Branch 60 (14.74%)

A few more state agencies are listed on the site if you'd like to take a further look. A reminder that those numbers of people make more than $138,302, which is Governor Little's salary.  

What Do You Think?

We've put together a poll to see which employee should be the highest paid in Idaho. You'll decide who has earned your hard-earned tax dollars.  Vote early and often.