New York’s $142 billion budget, enacted on April 1, authorizes the state to spend at a rate of $4,503 per second during its 2015-16 fiscal year, according to the Empire Center’s updated Spend-O-Meter.
Visitors can see the rate of total state spending translated in realtime segments on the Center’s Spend-O-Meter webpage: EmpireCenter.org/Spend-O-Meter.
“New York state government is spending an enormous amount of money, and the Spend-O-Meter helps put that number into a context people can more easily understand,” said Tim Hoefer, executive director of the Empire Center. “Florida, which has now surpassed New York’s population, spends barely half as much as New York.”
New York’s all-funds budget, which includes revenues from both state and federal sources, has doubled since fiscal year 1985, when the state spent $71.3 billion (2015 dollars).
The Empire Center is a non-partisan, independent think tank based in Albany.
You may also like
132 NYSLRS Retirees Receive Pensions Over $200K in FY2026
A total of 132 retirees from the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) were eligible to collect $200,000 or more in pensions during the 2026 fiscal year, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
Among the 132 Read More
Port Authority Payroll Passes $1.2B as 20 Employees Collect $400k+
Twenty Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) employees collected more than $400,000 each in total pay last year, while average pay agencywide rose three percent, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
The Por Read More
Fourteen NYC Educators Receive Over Half a Million Dollars in Pensions
Fourteen retired New York City educators received more than $500,000 in pension benefits in 2025, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
The data was obtained from the New York City Teachers’ Retirement Read More
34 MTA Workers Made $200K+ In Overtime In 2025
Thirty-four employees of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) received more than $200,000 in overtime payments in 2025, as total annual pay surpassed half a million dollars for some, according to , the Empire Center’s governm Read More
Empire Center Breaks Down Albany’s Pork Barrel Spending
Albany legislators steered over $83 million in grants to 293 local projects between April and December 2025 , according to under a Freedom of Information Law request.
The governor and state legislators hand-picked the grantees for mor Read More
SeeThroughNY updated with latest union contracts
New York’s of state and local government union contracts has been updated with the latest collective bargaining agreements for local teachers, police, firefighters, libraries, and public authorities.
Among the on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center Read More
Five Retired New York Educators Collect Over $300k In Pensions
As state lawmakers consider enhancing retirement benefits for government workers, fresh data from the Empire Center confirm that existing pensions are generous compared to national norms. Read More
Empire Center Report Makes the Case Against Further Tax Hikes
Adding to New York's already high tax burden would be both unnecessary and dangerous for the state's economy, according to a new report from the Empire Center.
Titled "Seven Reasons Read More