The complete 2012 New York state government payroll is now posted on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. The database includes the names, titles, base pay rates, and total pay of 291,364 individuals who worked in the state’s executive, legislative, or judicial branches at any point in calendar year 2012.
The data show:
The highest paid employee in state government was Antonio Alfonso, a distinguished teaching professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, according to the Medical Center’s website. His pay totaled $1,064,837 in 2012.
1,493 state employees earned more than the Governor’s $179,000 salary, nearly 500 more than in 2010.
At $99,837, the New York State Financial Control Board had the highest average earnings among Executive branch agencies (excluding SUNY & CUNY), followed closely by the New York State Police at $99,366.
Not reflected in the data are costs of pensions, health insurance for employees and retirees, and other benefits. Tables listing the 50 highest-paid employees by branch of state government in 2012 are available 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 every calendar year since 2008.
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.
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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
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.
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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
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
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
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
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, .
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