Montana State Salaries

Have you ever wondered what your Montana tax dollars pay for?

I mean, I think we can all say yes on that. Taxes in Montana are a hot topic with many believing that we are simply "taxed" out and want to know just where exactly is all this money going.

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The truth? I'm not sure, but I did decide to Google and see just how much some of our state employees are making, and it turns out that the highest-paid state employee in Montana is making over 220 an hour, according to a report that came out in 2023.

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Listen, I'm not here to judge. I mean, if someone was willing to pay me that much, I certainly wouldn't turn it down. Oh, and in case you're wondering, when you make 220 something dollars an hour, that ends up being right around 470 thousand dollars a year.

So who's making that much? Is it the Governor? Bobby Hauck? Brent Vigen? No, no, and no. The highest-paid state employee in Montana according to the website Open Payrolls is Holly O'Dell who is the CEO/President of the Montana State Fund.

For those wondering what the Montana State Fund is, a quick Google search revealed the following:

"The Montana State Fund currently exists as a nonprofit, independent public corporation, which is intended to operate as a business with the "management and control" vested solely in a politically appointed board."

According to their website, the Montana State Fund is an organization that "Stands Strong For Montanans". The site goes on to say that the Montana State Fund (which is based around workers' comp) isn't just about workers' compensation insurance, but they want to make sure that Montanans who work are safe AND successful.

Ms. O'Dell isn't the only state employee with a large salary. Both Presidents of the University of Montana and Montana State University make well over 350 thousand dollars a year, while a few of the coaches are well into the 6 figure range as well.

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Oh, and if you're curious, the Governor of Montana? He makes just under 120 thousand a year.

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