New York City firefighters and fire officers retiring last year after full careers were entitled to average annual pension benefits of $151,676, up six percent from the prior year, according to new data added to SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
Among the 470 new retirees with at least 20 years of service, nearly eight out of ten (399) were eligible for six-figure pensions; 79 were eligible for pensions over $200,000.
Looking at the most recent data for all New York City Fire Pension Fund retirees, the average pension for all 15,796 FDNY retirees, as of fiscal year 2024, came to $93,905, up 52 percent from $61,560 a decade ago. Both amounts include in-service disability payments for some.
Five hundred and eighty-four retirees were eligible for pensions over $200,000, 26 percent more than the previous year’s total of 464. Out of these, 11 were eligible for pensions over $300,000. As shown in the chart below, as the total number of retirees remained consistent over the last decade, the share of retirees eligible for six-figure pensions has soared, tripling during that time.
The highest pension among all retirees went to the recently retired Chief of Department, John Sudnik, who was eligible for $385,179 after retiring in July of 2023. The next-highest eligible pensions went to:
- Patrick Mcevoy, Former Captain, $364,162
- Mark Ferran, Former Deputy Chief, $355,230
- James McNally, Former Deputy Chief, $337,267
- Michael Vecchi, Former Associate Commissionner, $318,071
The figures include benefits from an optional program that allows members to make extra contributions to the plan, and the pension fund’s “Variable Supplement Fund,” a $12,000 payment to uniformed employees also known as “the Christmas bonus.”
The pensions are constitutionally guaranteed by New York taxpayers and are exempt from New York state income tax. New York City government retirees, including firefighters, also receive city healthcare coverage at no cost.
The data are only publicly available thanks to the Empire Center’s successful 2014 lawsuit.
The Empire Center, based in Albany, is an independent, not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to promoting policies that can make New York a better place to live, work and raise a family.
You may also like
Empire Center Board Names Zilvinas Silenas President & CEO
The Board of Directors of the Empire Center for Public Policy today announced the appointment of Zilvinas Silenas as President and CEO.
Zilvinas (also goes by “Z”) will succeed Tim Hoefer, who joined the Empire Center in 2008 and has led the organi Read More
Westchester hospital exec can draw annual pension of >$500k, atop growing list of 6-figure beneficiaries in NYS system
The number of retirees eligible for $200,000 or more in pensions from the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) reached 78 in the 2024 fiscal year, according to, the Empire Center Read More
NYPD Pensions Surpass $3B
Pension payments to the 52,417 retired police officers in the New York City Police Pension Fund (PPF) climbed to $3.17 billion during the fiscal year 2023, according to new data posted today at Read More
Massachusetts Gets Better Student Outcomes at Lower Costs. Why?
Massachusetts for decades has posted better student outcomes than New York at a considerably lower per-pupil cost. In a new Empire Center report, a former member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education takes the first major step toward understanding this disparity by identifying key differences between the two states’ public education systems. Read More
Port Authority’s Overtime Surge Wiped Out ‘Cashless’ Savings
Seven Port Authority of New York and New Jersey employees last year collected more than $200,000 each in overtime as total overtime surged, according to 2023 payroll data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. The five-year increase in overtime far exceeds the Port Authority's payroll savings from phasing out bridge and tunnel toll collectors over the same period. Read More
Empire Index: State’s On Wrong Track, Tax Cap Popular And More
Three in five New Yorkers (60 percent) say the state is on the wrong track, up from 55 percent earlier this year, according to the latest Empire Index poll of registered voters by the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
School Budgets Outpace Inflation As Districts Plan To Spend Over $33K Per Student
School districts presenting budgets to voters next Tuesday plan to spend an average of $33,404 per student, up 4.4 percent from the current school year, according to new state data. Read More
MTA Payroll Jumps 9 Percent As Overtime Goes Off the Rails Again
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)’s payroll jumped $663 million, or 9 percent, last year as overtime spending ticked up to a new record and subsidiaries dished out $261 million in retroactive pay, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. Read More