The PA State Employees Making $400K Per Year: Latest Data

HARRISBURG, PA — A total of 23 state employees in Pennsylvania made more than $400,000 in 2025, according to the latest publicly available government data showing vast income inequality across state agencies.

The data also shows that 68 employees over $300,000, and 483 make over $200,000. Meanwhile, there are 18,073 state employees making $100,000 or more, up from 14,280 a year ago. That comes after increases for the past two years, from 9,921 in 2023 to 11,198 in 2024.

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The data comes from the state's "PennWatch" database which includes salary details and budgetary information for all employees of all state agencies.

The numbers are heavily skewed on the high end, however, with the vast majority of the state's employees, people like nurses, police officers, and administrative assistants, making much less.

Of Pennsylvania's 113,000 state employees, 95,126 make less than $100,000 and 42,116 make less than $50,000. The average is just $63,087, a chasmic difference from the higher earners.

The number of highest earners has remained largely static, as the total employees making $400,000 or more was 25 last year. Supervisory physician Michael Brogna led the way as the only earner over $600,000, at $616,952.

University presidents, deans, and senior administrators filled out much of the upper echelons behind him. Physicians, clinical directors, and other healthcare professionals accounted for the next largest share. Senior portfolio managers and investment officers of public pension funds round out the top few hundred.

Legislators and legislative staff, executive managers and information officers, and top correctional and police leadership all made appearances in the low to mid $200,000s.

Many traditional civil service departments had thin representation among the highest earners.

Governor Shapiro came in at $253,870.

All 23 earners who made $400,000 or more in 2025 are listed below:

1. Michael Brogna, Supervisory Physician $616,952
2. Mohammed Aslam, Staff Physician 2 $565,591
3. R. Lorraine Bernotsky, University President $553,755
4. Miguel Salomon, Staff Physician 2 $534,713
5. Susan Lightbourn, Supervisory Physician $526,075
6. Christopher Fiorentino, Chancellor $518,147
7. Michael Driscoll, University President $500,772
8. Benjamin Cotton, Chief Investment Officer, PSERS $491,496
9. Danny Liu, Psychiatrist Supervisor $484,383
10. Cheryl Moore, Chief of Clinical Services, MH $480,668
11. Bashar Hanna, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiative $475,369
12. Sin Kei Yeung, Staff Physician 2 $467,159
13. Olu Fakiyesi, Psychiatrist Supervisor $463,483
14. Miko Rose Dean, College of Medicine $461,348
15. Shahla Behjat, Psychiatrist Supervisor $451,339
16. Jeffery Osgood, Interim University President $447,299
17. Malorie Budman, Supervisory Physician $440,711
18. Michael Roman, Staff Physician 2 $438,783
19. Thomas Bauer, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, PSERS $433,103
20. Daniel Wubah, University President $422,261
21. Jeffrey Theobald, Executive Director, Philadelphia Regional Port Authority $417,677
22. Sanjay Sen, Supervisory Physician $408,980
23. Jonathan Anderson, University President $402,665

View the full database at PennWatch.