Complete report in PDF format

Contact: (518) 434-3100

Today New Yorkers can search the complete 2011 state government payroll on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. The database includes names, titles, base pay rates, and total pay received by the 288,539 people who worked in the state’s executive, legislative, or judicial branches at any point in calendar year 2011.

The data show:

– The highest paid employee in state government was Alain E. Kaloyeros, the Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at SUNY Albany. His pay totaled over $792,000 in 2011. He has been a top-5 earner since 2009.

– 1,252 state employees earned more than the Governor’s $179,000 salary, 256 more than in 2010.

– At $102,677, the New York State Police had the highest average earnings among Executive branch agencies (excluding SUNY & CUNY).

Not reflected in the data are costs of pensions, health insurance for employees and retirees, and other benefits. For tables listing the 50 highest-paid employees by branch of state government in 2011, click here.

Users of SeeThroughNY can search or sort the database by name, agency, subagency, title, salary, and total earnings. The state payroll database now contains data for calendar years 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008.

You may also like

What They Make 2026: North Country

Lewis County employees held nine of the North Country's ten highest-paid local government positions in fiscal year 2025-26, most of them physicians and medical staff, . Jeffery Hellinger, a Lewis County employee, was the highest paid, at $265,978. Read More

What They Make 2026: Mohawk Valley

Eight local government employees in the Mohawk Valley had gross pensionable earnings of more than $200,000 in fiscal year 2025-26, . Four were county elected officials and three were Oneida County correction officers. The highest paid was Christina Pea Read More

What They Make 2026: Southern Tier

Mary Nobilski, a Steuben County employee, was the Southern Tier's highest-paid local government employee in fiscal year 2025-26, at $309,582, . She was the only local employee in the region paid more than Governor Hochul's $250,000 salary. Stat Read More

What They Make 2026: Central New York

Syracuse police officers held all ten of the highest-paid local government positions in Central New York during fiscal year 2025-26, . John Tassini was the highest paid, at $282,861. Statewide, the 179,222 employees of New York's counties, citi Read More

What They Make 2026: Finger Lakes

Rochester police officers held eight of the ten highest-paid local government positions in the Finger Lakes region during fiscal year 2025-26, . Robert Hill was the region's highest-paid employee, at $314,040. Statewide, the 179,222 employees o Read More

What They Make 2026: Western New York

Erie County deputy sheriff Simon Biegasiewicz was Western New York's highest-paid local government employee in fiscal year 2025-26, at $305,077, followed by Buffalo firefighter Daniel Bossi at $300,488, . They were the only two local employees in the r Read More

What They Make 2026: Capital Region

An Albany police officer, Willie Flack, was the Capital Region's highest-paid local government employee in fiscal year 2025-26, at $279,370, . Police officers in Albany, Schenectady and Troy and the Town of Colonie held six of the region's ten highest- Read More

What They Make 2026: Mid-Hudson

Town of Ramapo police officers held four of the five highest-paid local government positions in the Mid-Hudson region during fiscal year 2025-26, led by Daniel Hyman at $421,338, the second-highest local government pay in the state, . Statewide Read More