Gov. Bob Ferguson received a 7% raise on Wednesday. Combined with a similar-sized pay bump a year ago, his annual salary is $234,275, roughly $30,000 more than when he took the oath as Washington’s 24th governor in January 2025. It’s not his doing.

The Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials, a panel established by voters in 1987, ended the practice of politicians deciding their own pay.

This panel of unelected individuals from across the state approved a new two-year salary schedule in March 2025 that awarded double-digit pay hikes for the offices of the governor, attorney general and state lawmakers.