You'll Be Surprised At How Much The Vice President Of The U.S. Really Gets Paid
Not a lot of kids grow up wanting to be the vice president, probably for the same reason that not a lot of kids grow up wanting to be a vice astronaut or co-princess or Markedly-Less-Super Man. But fate plays a fickle hand, and to date, 48 little boys have grown up to be the second most powerful member of the executive branch. And sure, there's always room for upward mobility — some veeps run for office once their higher-ups leave the post, while others, like Millard Fillmore, rise through the ranks the old fashioned way by waiting for their particular POTUS to succumb to cholera.
But if you're not serving at the pleasure of a guy who drinks a lot of bad milk, the vice presidency can be a long ride on a train bound for nowhere. Your work is overshadowed by your boss, to the point where Vice President John "Cactus Jack" Garner (yes we had a VP named "Cactus Jack." We're the greatest country in the world, baby.) once described his vocation as "not worth a bucket of warm spit," and that's the polite version of the quote. What's more, you're not even making bank doing it.
At least they get dental
The vice president makes about as much money annually as Ed Harris reportedly pulls in for an episode of Westworld.
USA Today lays it out in dollars and cents: the vice president, as of 2020, makes $235,700 per year, or roughly enough to buy 100 medium-range French bulldogs.
That might seem low, considering that the job description involves alway being a clogged aorta away from the highest office in the United States. But to make lemonade, it's worth mentioning that current VP Mike Pence actually experienced a significant pay bump when he was sworn in. Previously, Pence's 9 to 5 was working as the governor of Indiana, a profession that lands you a cool $111,688 per year, according to the state's website.
The President, meanwhile, still reigns supreme in the field of government pay. The Commander in Chief yoinks a $400,000 a year salary, making him the highest paid member of the executive branch, not including lobbyists.