New Yorkers today can search the complete 2010 state government payroll on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. The database includes, names, titles, base pay rates and total pay received by the 273,983 people who worked in the state’s executive, legislative or judicial branches at any point last year.

The data show:

• The highest paid employee in state government was Kevin Broadus, the former men’s basketball coach at SUNY Binghamton. Broadus was paid $1,026,793 by the University in a settlement.
• The next highest paid were SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s Stephen Onesti, chairman of the neurosurgery department, and Alain Kaloyeros, vice president and chief administrative officer of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, took home $974,605 and $763,289 respectively. Payroll files from the SUNY Research Fund show that Kaloyeros earned an additional $83,881 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010.
• 996 state employees were paid more than the Governor’s $179,000 salary, 96 more than in 2009 (1,119 state employees earned more than the Governor’s self-imposed $175,000 salary).
• At $100,552, the New York State Police had the highest average pay among Executive branch agencies (excluding SUNY & CUNY).

Not reflected in the data are costs of pensions, health insurance for employees and retirees, and other benefits. For tables listing the 50 highest-paid employees by branch of state government in 2010, plus separate lists for higher education, click here.

Users of SeeThroughNY can search or sort the database by name, agency, subagency, title, salary and total earnings. The state payroll database now contains data for calendar years 2010, 2009 and 2008.