CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Being the mayor of a big city comes with its perks, a virtual key to the city and a hefty paycheck among them. Well, at least a virtual key to the city.

[RELATED: Charlotte mayor wants to increase city's affordable housing fund to $150M]

A Business Journals’ analysis of mayor salaries throughout the United States found wide discrepancies in what a city’s CEO can earn on the taxpayers’ dime. It may surprise, but a mayor’s annual pay often has little to do with the size of the metropolis they manage.

Take San Francisco Mayor London Breed, whose $301,000 base salary is the highest in the nation among mayors. It’s also $119,000 more than what Columbus, Ohio, Mayor Andrew Ginther earns each year, even though San Francisco has just 5,000 more residents than its Midwestern peer.

To see where the salaries rank of more than 50 mayors, including Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, look at this slideshow.

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