New York’s state legislators would like a raise, but a review of state payroll data shows that more than three-quarters of them already earn more than their frequently cited $79,500 statutory base salary.
The extra pay consists of annual stipends issued to legislators who hold committee posts or other leadership titles. The payments, enumerated in Article 2, Section 5A of the Legislative law, range in value from $9,000 to $41,500.
At the start of 2015, the most recent full year for which legislative pay data are available, all 63 members of the state Senate were eligible to collect a stipend on top of base pay. (Some senators have declined to accept the stipend associated with their leadership position.) Nearly five out of six senators were paid more than $90,000 in 2015, including 15 who were paid more than $100,000.
More than two-thirds of the members of the Assembly received a stipend, with 104 assembly members collecting them in 2015. More than half of Assembly members (81) were paid more than $90,000, including 12 who were paid more than $100,000.
The New York Legislature’s base pay of $79,500 is the third highest in the country, trailing only California and Pennsylvania, and its operational budget of $906,418 per member (as of 2012) is the fourth largest, behind state legislatures in California, Pennsylvania and Florida. As of 2011, New York spent the most of any state on added legislative pay stipends, according to this analysis by an Illinois newspaper, based on National Conference of State Legislatures data.
Click here for a 50-state rundown of legislative pay and legislative budgets.
Albany lawmakers have given themselves five raises since 1970. Adjusting for inflation, their base pay over the past 46 years has averaged $89,630. The last raise was adopted in 1998 and took effect in 1999. At that point, it was the equivalent in 2016 dollars of $115,171.
About the Author
You may also like
The fatal flaw in New York’s climate Superfund law
In 2024, the New York state Legislature decided the state needed some money — $75 billion, to be exact — for “comprehensive adaptation to the effects of in New York state.”
The Legislature thought it had found Read More
Long Islanders and Empire Center Debate Homeschooling
Greater Long Island’s recent into the rise of homeschooling sparked quite a debate. Hundreds of readers on Facebook, weighing in on everything from academics and socialization to parental rights, teacher qualifications, a Read More
Taxes, the Cost of Living, and Feeling Ignored: Why New Yorkers Are Thinking of Leaving
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALBANY, N.Y. - New Yorkers across the political spectrum are considering leaving the state. A new finds that Republicans and independent voters most often cite taxes as the reason, while Dem Read More
Leaving New York
Executive Summary
The desire to leave New York is strong and cuts across every demographic group measured in the survey. One-third of New Yorkers have considered leaving the state within the next five years, while another third know some Read More
N.Y. fails education despite spending big
New York’s schools are spending more than ever, but student performance keeps falling.
Unsurprisingly, Empire Center’s latest opinion poll shows with how education is run. They want better results, less spending, and more choice — something th Read More
Albany Steers Nearly $100 Million in 2026 Pork Barrel Spending
Albany steered $97.2 million to 206 local projects during the first half of 2026 in the newest batch of state discretionary grants, according to. The new tranche is the latest addition to the pork-barrel grant database the Empire Center h Read More
New York’s Electricity Prices Fifth Highest in the Country
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALBANY, N.Y. — Empire Center’s shows New York households paid the fifth‑highest residential electricity prices in the country in June 2026, trailing only Hawaii, California Read More
New Poll Shows New Yorkers Want Cheaper Energy — RGGI’s Price Record Shows They Aren’t Getting It
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 Read More