

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

NYC Employee Pension Payments Cross $6 billion; 70 Members Collect $200k+

State Lawmakers Spend $268 Million on Legislative Operations

School Districts Plan To Spend Over $35K Per Student, Outpacing Inflation

Educators Receiving $200k+ Doubles in Five Years

Median Teacher Pay Exceeds $100K in a Quarter of NY School Districts as Federal Funding Cuts Loom

NY Schools Plan To Spend Nearly $32K Per Student

State Budget Proposal Doubles Down on Reckless Spending, Empire Center Says

Empire Center Issues State Policy Guide
Educators Receiving $200k+ Doubles in Five Years
- April 15, 2025
NY Schools Plan To Spend Nearly $32K Per Student
- May 8, 2023
Empire Center Issues State Policy Guide
- December 19, 2022