Athletics and Medicine Fill Ranks of Connecticut’s Highest Paid State Employees, Data Shows

Connecticut’s top 15 list speaks volumes about how public money is spent (on some people) in the Nutmeg State - the most highly compensated people. 

The Hartford Business Journal recently published the occupations - and names - of the highest paid Connecticut state employees in 2024.  Some are widely and well known, others less so. 

The common thread is UConn.  Their fields of endeavor, one might argue, reveal what areas of expertise are held in the highest regard, in addition to the state’s flagship university itself.

Five of the top 10 are associated with UConn athletics.  The remainder of the top 15 are associated with various medical fields at UConn, most prominently orthopedics dermatology.  The university’s President had the 19th highest compensation among state employees in 2024. 

The top 15 ranking:

1.       Head coach, men’s basketball, UConn

2.      Head coach, women’s basketball, UConn

3.      Chair, Department of Orthopedic Surgery,* UConn 

4.      Head coach, football, UConn

5.      Director of Laser Surgery and Cosmetic Dermatology,* UConn   

6.      Professor of Dermatology, UConn

7.      Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, UConn

8.      Director of Athletics, UConn

9.      Co-director, Comprehensive Spine Center*, UConn

10. Assistant Head Coach, Men’s Basketball, UConn

11. Chief, Division of Neurosurgery*, UConn

12. Professor and Chief, Department of Surgery*, UConn

13. Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, UConn

14. Associate Professor of Radiology, UConn

15. Associate Professor, Orthopedic Surgery, UConn

Just outside the top 15 were the President of the University of Connecticut, the Director, Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences, at UConn, and the former director of Student Conduct at UConn.

The lowest total compensation among those in the top 20 highest paid state employees in 2024 was just over $800,000.  The highest was $6.76 million.

Additional detail can be seen here.

*Indicates additional credentials.