Eight city of Boston employees made more than half a million dollars in 2024, with the top earner taking home almost $150,000 more than the top earner the previous year, according to city payroll data.
All but one of the top 10 earners were members of the Boston Police Department.
The second-highest earner on the city payroll, however, was Paul Sordillo, a member of the Facilities Management Department, who took home $567,427.49 last year. According to the Boston Herald, Sordillo was a longtime custodian for Boston Public Schools who retired last year, and the $413,783.39 he received on top of his regular salary and overtime represented unused vacation days collected over decades.
Most of the highest earners in 2024 were members of the Boston Police and Fire Departments, many of whom earned tens of thousands or more in overtime and detail pay.
Police Lt. Stanley Demesmin, the top overall earner, also earned the most in overtime over the course of the year, receiving $223,773.96 on top of his regular salary of $161,306.48. Demesmin was also the top earner in 2023.
Three other city employees earned more than $200,000 in overtime in 2024: police officer Jose Acosta, who received $212,258.73; police Sgt. Rick Johnson, who received $202,514.27; and police officer Henry Araica, who received $202,496.07.
Police Commissioner Michael Cox was the 98th-highest earner, taking home $311,765.29. Fire Commissioner Paul Burke was No. 200, with $311,080.88.
Other than Sordillo, the top earner who was not a member of the police or fire departments was BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper. Skipper earned $349,189.75 in 2024, placing her at No. 224 on the list, far below her spot at No. 7 in 2023.
Mayor Michelle Wu was paid $207,000.04 in 2024, placing her at No. 2,139 on the list.
The top 10 gross earners out of 25,530 city employees were:
- Police Lt. Stanley Demesmin — $575,583.11
- Building Services Fleet Manager Paul Sordillo — $567,427.49
- Police Lt. Sean Smith — $558,224.86
- Police Capt. Timothy Connolly — $550,760.10
- Police Capt. John Danilecki — $544,519.83
- Police Capt. Michael Hegarty — $542,153.06
- Police Capt. Steven Sweeney — $525,722.50
- Police Capt. Wayne Lanchester — $519,791.24
- Police Lt. Daniel Pusey — $498,720.65
- Police Sgt. Rick Johnson — $497,621.44
Like Demesmin, Smith, Connolly and Danilecki also made the top 10 in 2023, coming in at fourth, eighth and fifth that year, respectively.
See, sort or search the Boston city employees who made $100,000 or more in gross pay in the table below. Scroll to the right in the table to reveal more columns. Click on the right arrow in the top right corner to advance through the pages. You can also search by name or keyword in the search bar at the top left. If the table does not appear for you or you want to open in another tab, click here.
Find the complete Boston city employee 2024 salary database here.
