America's first US president's annual salary was $25,000

How does the salary of George Washington compare to that of Barack Obama's?

The country's first U.S. president made $25,000 for the job in 1789. According to Business Insider, "That may not sound like much, but to put Washington's compensation into perspective, $25,000 in 1913 — the oldest year the inflation calculator accounts for — is equivalent to about $600,000 today. Imagine the value in 1789!"

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In contrast, Obama is designated a yearly salary of $400,000, and he reportedly made nearly $800,000 in 2011 due to additional earnings from investments and book royalties.

While the two men may seem to have had somewhat comparable incomes in present day terms, Slate points out that Washington was not given money to pay for expenses related to his official duties so he had to subsidize some of them himself.

In fact, the founding father reportedly complained about not earning enough money to cover his costs.

For about 30 years starting in 1969, American presidents earned $200,000 in base pay until the amount was doubled to its current level in 1999.