Susie Wiles has left the White House as chief of staff. She is replaced by Stephen Miller.
Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The White House salary report shows its top-paid staffers earn up to $197,200 annually.
Senior advisors, legal counsel, and policy directors are among the highest earners listed.
Government salaries can fall below private sector pay but far exceed the national average income.
Working at the White House might be one of the most exclusive and prestigious jobs in the US, but you'd be surprised by how much some of the people around the president make each year.
For starters, having the top job — that is, being the president of the US — brings in a salary of $400,000, which some independently wealthy presidents, such as John F. Kennedy, Herbert Hoover, and Donald Trump, have chosen to donate instead.
While the figure is significantly higher than what the average American makes — $72,800 in 2025, according to the Social Security Administration — it's also less than you would need to be in the top 1% of earners across all US states.
In 2025, the top 1% of earners in Maryland and Virginia, which border the District of Columbia, earn $677,543 and $701,792 annually, respectively.
Government salaries often lag behind what professionals earn in the private sector, since serving the public isn't as lucrative as maximizing shareholder value. Still, to say that those working at the White House are underpaid would be an overstatement.
On July 1, the White House shared with Congress the salaries of all employees inside the White House Office, including aides, advisors, and staff leaders, as it is legally required to.
Some of the highest-compensated workers around the president include policy advisors and legal counsel, while others are responsible for the president's communications and personnel management. Lower-paid roles include research assistants and press assistants.
Other notable names, like Marco Rubio and David Sacks, declared a $0 salary from the office of the president, either forgoing their salary or receiving compensation from other branches of government.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
See the 34 highest-paid White House staffers listed in the July 2026 report. Some staffers, including Susie Wiles and Karoline Leavitt, have since changed roles or left the White House.
Gary Barnett
Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images
Role: Senior policy advisor
Salary: $197,200
Scott Brady
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Role: Executive director of the Anti-Fraud Task Force
Salary: $197,200
Lucas Croslow
Lucas Croslow previously served as general counsel for the Federal Trade Commission.
Finn Gomez/Getty Images
Role: Senior policy advisor
Salary: $197,200
Blake Deeley
The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Role: Deputy executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council
Salary: $197,200
Harry Jung
Trump established the President's Council of Advisors for Digital Assets (also known as the White House Crypto Council) in 2025.
Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images
Role: Deputy director of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Digital Assets
Salary: $197,200
Peter Lake
Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Role: Senior advisor
Salary: $197,200
James "J.C." Miller
USDA photo by Christophe Paul
Role: Senior policy advisor
Salary: $197,200
Joseph Simonson
Joseph Simonson previously served as the director of public affairs at the Federal Trade Commission.
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Role: Senior policy advisor
Salary: $197,200
Nick Stewart
Nick Stewart, who served in the State Department during Trump's first term, is now a policy advisor on the White House team negotiating to end the war in Iran.
Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Role: Policy advisor
Salary: $197,200
Jarrod Agen
Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit
Role: Executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council
Salary: $195,200
Brittany Baldwin
Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images
Role: Senior policy advisor
Salary: $195,200
Walker Barrett
Walker previously worked for the House Armed Services Committee.
Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Role: Assistant to the president for policy
Salary: $195,200
Meghan Bauer
Bauer serves as an assistant to the president and his Cabinet Secretary.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Role: Cabinet Secretary
Salary: $195,200
James Braid (former role)
Blair (right) left the white house in october.
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Role: Director of legislative affairs
Salary: $195,200
James Braid left his role as the White House director of legislative affairs in early October. Katie Bailey succeeded him.
Steven Cheung
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Role: Director of communications
Salary: $195,200
John Coale
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Role: Deputy assistant to the president and deputy special envoy to Ukraine
Salary: $195,200
Coale has since been appointed special envoy to Belarus. He was also nominated by Trump in October 2026 as the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, though he has not yet been confirmed.
Joshua Fisher
Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Role: Director of management and administration and director to the Office of Administration
Salary: $195,200
Shawn Flynn
Kevin Carter/Getty Images
Role: Associate counsel
Salary: $195,200
Vince Haley
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Role: Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Salary: $195,200
Hayley Harrison
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Role: Chief of staff to the first lady
Salary: $195,200
William 'Beau' Harrison
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Role: Deputy chief of staff for operations
Salary: $195,200
Kevin Hassett
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Role: Assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council
Salary: $195,200
Anne Hawkins
Hawkins previously served as general counsel and chief of strategy at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
Role: Senior policy advisor
Salary: $195,200
Tom Homan
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
Role: Border czar
Salary: $195,200
Karoline Leavitt (former role)
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Role: White House press secretary
Salary: $195,200
Karoline Leavitt left her role as the White House press secretary in August. She was briefly replaced by Katie Zacharia. Trump has not yet announced a replacement.
Miller was promoted to chief of staff after Susie Wiles' exit on November 6. Trump described him as "one of my most trusted advisors." He starts on November 9.
Peter Navarro
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Role: Senior counselor for trade and manufacturing
Salary: $195,200
Daniel Scavino
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Role: Deputy chief of staff director of the Office for Presidential Personnel
Salary: $195,200
Will Scharf
Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP
Role: Staff secretary
Salary: $195,200
Courtney Stecker
Courtney Stecker previously served as senior advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Rose-Marie Henriksson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Susie Wiles left her role as the White House chief of staff on November 6, Trump announced on Truth Social. He said she "has done an outstanding job." Trump named Stephen Miller as her replacement.
Patrick Witt
Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Chainlink Labs
Role: Executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Digital Assets
Salary: $195,200
Ross Worthington
PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images
Role: Director of speechwriting
Salary: $195,200
Editor's Note: This article was first published in October 2022 and most recently updated in November 2026.
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