See new list of Columbus city government employee salaries. Search database here
The Columbus Consolidated Government employs 50 people earning an annual salary of at least $100,000. That’s a decrease of three in six-figure earners compared to last year.
This information comes from a searchable database of CCG salaries compiled by the Ledger-Enquirer.
The database comprises the annual salaries of CCG full-time employees as of Nov. 1. City government salaries are public information and can be obtained through a request under the Georgia Open Records Act.
Salaries of the 2,459 CCG full-time employees (2,410 last year) range from $31,200 for a custodian to $192,475.66 for city attorney Clifton Fay.
That’s the same salary Fay had last year, when he ranked second on CCG’s list of highest-paid employees. The top spot was the city manager, but that position has been vacant since the Columbus Council voted 7-3 to fire Isaiah Hugley in May. Hugley, who had planned to retire at the end of this year, had a salary of $213,278.52. Hugley now is running for mayor.
Columbus government salaries compared to average
The average CCG full-time salary is $55,063.86 ($55,159.55 last year). According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau:
- The average (per capita) salary in Columbus (Muscogee County) is $32,811.
- The average salary in Georgia is $39,525.
- The average salary in the United States is $43,289.
Columbus government salaries compared to median
To compensate for outliers, a better way to compare the CCG employee salaries to how much the typical Columbus resident earns is to use the median salary at the midpoint of all employees.
The median full-time salary for CCG employees is $50,452.22 ($50,960 last year). The U.S. Census Bureau reports median household income, not the median individual salary. The latest census data shows:
- The median household income in Columbus (Muscogee County) is $56,622.
- The median household income in Georgia is $74,664.
- The median household income in the United States is $78,538.
Top 10 highest-paid Columbus government employees
Here are CCG’s 10 highest-paid employees:
- 1. Clifton Fay, city attorney, $192,475.66
- 2. Greg Countryman, sheriff, $184,248.48
- 3. Stoney Mathis, chief of police, $182,943.54
- 4. Sal Scarpa, fire & EMA director, $179,155.08
- 5. Lisa Goodwin, deputy city manager, $177,748.22
- 6. Andrew Prather, State Court judge, $175,937.16
- 7. Pam Hodge, deputy city manager, $172,520.66
- 8. Pete Temesgen, State Court judge, $169,952.76
- 9. Herbert Walker, warden, $159,755.70
- 10. Ronald Beck, engineering director, $148,889.78
How to search complete Columbus government salaries database
The complete database of CCG full-time employee salaries is attached below. Enter a name, job title or keyword into the search box in the upper-left corner to find a particular employee or category of employees.
