Much of our attention will no doubt be focused on the same general issues that preoccupied us in 2015 — issues such as the economy, taxes, government wages and pensions, population shifts and pork barrel spending.
And so, with best wishes to all for a Happy New Year, here’s a last look back at the Empire Center’s web traffic highlights for the year just ended — including updates to our popular government transparency website, SeeThroughNY.net.
The 5 most popular EmpireCenter.org pages in 2015:
Higher Pay, Fewer Jobs – Video features and articles explaining what’s at stake for New York in the proposal to jack up the statewide minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The Empire Center’s Pension Calculator – We’ve made it simple to estimate the retirement income for a state and local government worker and to see what it would cost a private-sector worker to buy an equivalent annuity in the open market.
What They Make—2015 Edition – The Empire Center’s unique annual compendium of average pay for every county, city, town and village government in New York State.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ALBANY, N.Y. that heating an average home from October to March would cost approximately $790 with natural gas, compared with $1,100 with a heat pump and $3,300 with electr Read More
Editor’s note: Roger Caiazza is an adjunct fellow at the Empire Center. He has a long and deep private industry background in environmental regulatory analysis and compliance. His frequently updated personal blog on New York State environmental poli Read More
Dissatisfaction spans party and regional lines as broad majorities rally behind sweeping tax reform
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ALBANY, N.Y. - New Yorkers are delivering a blunt assessment of the state’s tax system: 67% say they ar Read More
Summary
New Yorkers have reached a clear verdict: The state’s tax system is not delivering. A full 67% say they are not getting good value for their tax dollars, while 64% support eliminating the state income tax. Read More
Payroll records for 8,401 employees of the Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF SUNY) for fiscal year 2026 are , the Empire Center's government transparency website.
The Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit educational co Read More
New York City firefighters and fire officers retiring last year after full careers were entitled to average annual pension benefits of $177,016, according to , the Empire Center's government transparency website.
Among the 499 new retirees with at leas Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s average residential electricity price reached 29.90 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in July 2026, the fifth highest in the nation and 63.3 percent Read More
September 2026
Summary and Insights
Electricity. In June 2026, New York had the nation's fifth-highest residential electricity price at 29.49 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), 60.8 percent above the U.S. average. Prices d Read More