How Much Will Portland’s Next Mayor Get Paid?

It’s a testament to the financial literacy of Portlanders that several of them guessed the figure—nearly to the penny.

Hot Mic in Peninsula Park. (Zave Payne)
By Zave Payne and Aaron Mesh

How much money does it take for a mayor to thrive? That’s the quandary pondered by the Portland’s Independent Salary Commission, a five-member panel tasked with deciding the pay scale for elected officials in Portland’s new form of government.

The commission based its recommendation on the “thriving wage” for a single parent with a child. That translates to $175,463 a year for the mayor Portlanders elect in 2024.

In the latest episode of our roving civics quiz, Hot Mic, Reed College filmmaker Zave Payne asked visitors to Peninsula Park to guess that new salary. It’s a testament to the financial literacy of Portlanders that several of them guessed the figure—nearly to the penny.

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