Highest Paid Boston City Employees In 2018, Payroll Data Released

BOSTON — The city payroll increased from $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion for 2018. And the highest earners were police officers, according to payroll data released on Friday. Nearly 550 officers earned more than $200,000. Some 54 fire department employees and another five city employees and just three school department officials earned more than $200,000.

Mayor Marty Walsh was not one of them. But he was among the city's highest earners last year, bringing home $191,615.46, according to city payroll data.

The highest paid city employee was Keith Barry a wire inspector for the Inspectional Services department. He earned $250,672.23.

Non School, Fire, Police City Employees top 10 highest earners:

But when it came to highest overall earners, Boston Police officers lead the pack. The top five highest earners, which included two officers who made more than $600,000 each, went home with so much because of back pay awards after they were reinstated.

Boston Police Department top 10 highest earners for 2018:

When it came to the school department, former Superintendent of Schools Tommy Chang walked out with a whopping $450,583.20. A teacher who got injury pay was the second highest paid at $245,468.70.

And then there were the firefighters. A department chief earned the most in the department taking home $260,160.29, more than Boston Fire Commissioner Joe Finn who earned $247,269.28.

Total earnings for calendar year 2018 were $1.721 billion, 8.2 percent or $129.3 million greater than calendar year 2017 earnings.

According to the city the increase was mainly driven by:

• Increase in regular pay due to recently settled contracts. The largest driver was BTU base wage increases employees received as part of the contract settlement paid in early November 2017.
• Increase in retro pay due to timing of settled contracts with school and public safety unions.
• Reimbursed police overtime pay, due to the National Grid and Marriott strikes.

Last year included the following "unusually high police earnings," because of reinstatements with back pay awarded in 2018:

S. Harris* $684,411 (total settlement $485,967)
D. Williams** $677,681
R. Jones* $577,123 (equals total settlement amount)
G. Downing* $536,871 (total settlement $376,628)
W. Washington* $494,320 (total settlement $298,523)

*Thompson v. Civil Service Commission, 90 Mass. App Ct. 462 (2016)
**City of Boston v. Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, 477 Mass. 434 (2017)