Which University of California employees were paid the most last year? See top 25
The highest paid state employees work for the University of California system as coaches, doctors and leaders of medical centers. The Bee’s state worker salary database has been updated to include the 2024 numbers for University of California employees.
The salaries for the top 25 most well-compensated university employees ranged from $1.7 million to $4.7 million. Cal’s Golden Bears head football coach, Justin Wilcox, took home the highest salary last year.
For most, the bulk of that compensation is driven by “other pay,” rather than an employee’s regular salary. The definition of other pay depends on the type of employee and the source of those funds varies.
In the case of UC football and basketball coaches — who took the top two spots on the list of highest-paid employees — the other pay stems from talent fees and performance-based bonuses, which are funded through sponsors, boosters, ticket sales and media revenue.
For UC physicians, the majority of their additional pay is earned through clinical work. Patients and insurance companies fund that part of physicians’ compensation.
Twenty of the highest paid UC employees made more than any civil service counterpart. The highest paid civil service employee in 2024 was Christopher Ailman, the former chief investment officer for the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, who received $1.7 million in total pay.
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
