2025's Top Earners: Highest-Paid Connecticut State Employees

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut’s highest-paid state employee in 2025 won’t be found in the Capitol — he’s pacing the sidelines in Storrs.

According to newly released payroll data from the Office of the Connecticut State Comptroller, the top 25 earners in state government this year are dominated by coaches and medical professionals at the University of Connecticut. And leading the pack by a wide margin is men’s basketball coach Daniel Hurley, whose total 2025 compensation tops $10.3 million.

Hurley’s pay more than doubles that of the second-highest earner on the list.

Coming in at No. 2 is longtime women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, with $4.2 million in total pay for 2025. Former football coach Jim Mora ranks third, earning $2.3 million

Together, the three coaches account for nearly $16.8 million of the over $6 billion in state employees' compensation in 2025, an increase of over $200 million from 2024.

Hurley’s compensation reflects both base salary and contract incentives. Since taking over the UConn men’s program in 2018, Hurley has restored the Huskies to national prominence, delivering back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2023 and 2024. His success has elevated the university’s profile and placed him among the highest-paid public university basketball coaches in the country.

Auriemma, meanwhile, remains one of the most decorated coaches in college sports history. Leading the UConn women’s program since 1985, he has guided the Huskies to 11 national championships and numerous Final Four appearances. His longevity and sustained dominance continue to anchor the program’s national brand — and his compensation reflects that stature.

Beyond the trio of headline-grabbing coaches, the remainder of the top 25 list is heavily concentrated in health care roles at UConn Health. Physicians and specialized faculty members fill much of the roster, with individual compensation frequently exceeding $1 million annually. The fourth-highest earner, for example, is a Health Center faculty member earning $2.14 million in 2025.

The data underscores a consistent trend in Connecticut state payroll: elite athletics and academic medicine dominate the upper tier of earnings. While constitutional officers and agency commissioners oversee billions in public spending, their salaries fall well below those of top-tier coaches and medical specialists.

For context, the governor’s annual salary is $150,000 — a fraction of the compensation commanded by UConn’s top athletic leaders.

The comptroller’s office publishes annual payroll transparency data as part of its open-government reporting. The figures reflect gross compensation for calendar year 2025, including salary, bonuses and other payments.

The concentration of high earners at UConn also highlights the university’s hybrid role within state government — part public institution, part nationally competitive enterprise. Athletic success generates ticket revenue, media contracts and alumni engagement, while medical faculty bring in research grants and clinical income.

In short, while the state’s top earners technically work for Connecticut taxpayers, many operate in highly competitive national markets where salaries are driven by performance, reputation and revenue generation.

And in 2025, at least according to the numbers, championship banners still pay.