How the U.S. President's Salary Has Evolved Over 237 Years
The annual pay for the U.S. president has risen from $25,000 in 1789 to $400,000 today, with only a few adjustments and several supplemental allowances.
Congress originally fixed the president's compensation at $25,000 per year in 1789, a sum that translates to about $949,000 in 2026 dollars. The first increase came in 1873 under Ulysses S. Grant, raising the salary to $50,000, which would be close to $1.4 million today. Subsequent hikes occurred in 1909 to $75,000, in 1949 to $100,000, and in 1969 to $200,000, each reflecting inflation adjustments of the time.
The current $400,000 salary was established by a 1999 law and took effect in 2001, remaining unchanged since. Presidents also receive a $50,000 expense account, a travel allowance that rose to $100,000 in 1978, and a pension equal to a cabinet secretary's salary after leaving office. Notably, Donald Trump chose to forgo his paycheck and donate it to federal agencies, a practice also followed by earlier leaders such as Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy.
Why it matters
Understanding presidential compensation reveals how the role's financial rewards have changed relative to inflation and public expectations.
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