For many people, working in the White House is a dream job. Being part of one of the world’s most powerful institutions is a major achievement and the pay is not bad either. According to Business Insider, White House salaries are far above what the average American earns ($69,846 in 2024, per the Social Security Administration).
They are still lower than what someone would need to make to qualify for the top 1% of earners in many US states. In 2025, the top 1% in Maryland earned $677,543 annually, while in Virginia, it was $701,792. Government work usually pays less than the private sector, where salaries are tied to profits. Still, calling White House staff underpaid would be a stretch.
A look inside White House salaries
Every year on July 1, the White House is required to report all employee salaries to Congress. This includes aides, advisors, legal counsel, communication staff, and more. Some of the highest-paid roles belong to senior policy advisors, legal experts, and communications leaders. Lower-paid jobs include research assistants and press assistants.
A few people on the list have since moved on. Taylor Budowich left for the private sector. Mike Waltz shifted to a diplomatic role as the US ambassador to the United Nations after he was dismissed from his position as national security advisor. Others, such as Marco Rubio and David Sacks, reported a $0 salary, either because they declined it or were being paid through other branches of government.
Who is the highest earner?
Jacalynne Klopp is the Senior Immigration Advisor who earns $225,700. Klopp earns the highest salary allowed in the senior executive service. She advises border czar Tom Homan and has spent more than 17 years in government, including at the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s enforcement and removal operations, Fortune reported.
Other top earners
Several senior advisors and staff members working closely with the president fall into the top salary bracket inside the White House. Edgar Mkrtchian, who serves as Associate Counsel, earns $203,645. According to his LinkedIn profile, he began working as an advisor for the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission in June 2024.
A group of senior policy and communications officials earn $195,200, including Senior Policy Advisor Brittany Baldwin; Michael James Blair, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political, and Public Affairs; and Kyser Blakely, also a Senior Policy Advisor.
Former Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Public Liaison Taylor Budowich, who left the White House in October to join the private sector, was also earning $195,200 during his tenure. Earlier in the year, Budowich was named in a lawsuit by the Associated Press after he blocked the outlet’s access to the Oval Office and Air Force One when it refused to use Trump’s naming of the Gulf of America.
In response to the lawsuit, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who was also named in the case, said, “We feel we are in the right in this position. We’re going to ensure that truth and accuracy is present at that White House every single day.”
Other senior staffers earning $195,200 include Steven Cheung, the Director of Communications, and Elizabeth Cilia, Senior Policy Advisor. John Coale, who serves as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Special Envoy to Ukraine, also earns $195,200.