CEO of SF's Retirement Services Is City's Top Paid Employee in 2021

SAN FRANCISCO — A Chief Executive Officer with San Francisco's Retirement Services Department was the highest paid government employee in the city in 2021, according to numbers released by the California State Controller's Office.

Coming in at $556,864 with base pay and benefits, the position out-earned a plethora of other positions, including the chief of police and the city manager, to become the highest paid city official.

The position paid 33 percent higher than the $292,890 – $373,854 average pay range for the role, according to the State Controller's Office.

Retirement Services Department-related roles made up five of the city's 10 highest employee wages. Public Health employees made up the other five, including four registered nurses who made at least $472,616, annually.

The highest paid city council members in the state belonged to the city of Los Angeles, with wages sitting above $200,000. The highest paid mayor in the state belonged to San Francisco, with a wage of $353,802, followed by Los Angeles. The ranking did not differentiate between full- and part-time employees.

View all the local statewide data using this link.

Emily Rahhal contributed to this story.