Who are Texas highest paid state employees? [Video]

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A biennial report published by the Texas State Auditor’s Office on Thursday includes a list of Texas’ 40 highest-paid management employees, as well as recommendations for pay raises based on the office’s study of comparable jobs.

The SAO notes that its analysis used data from June 2024. Some of the positions may have seen a 5% raise in September, the office noted.

Its analysis did not include judges, public universities, elected officials and any self-directed/semi-independent agency. The state’s 2023 budget law decided the agencies that would be part of the report.

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The top 40 list represents a combined $11.4 million expense by Texas.

Texas’ Top Four

So who is Texas’ highest-paid employee? The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Michelle M. Le Beau, joined the institute in 2021. She makes $639,300 each year.

The next highest-paid employee, and the highest-paid executive, is Texas Department of Public Safety director Steven McCraw. …