Maximum pension benefits averaged $69,609 for the 2,582 members of the New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS) who retired last year with at least 30 years of credited service time, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website.
Reflecting regional salary differences, the average pension for the NYSTRS members with 30 years or more of service was highest among retirees from New York City suburban districts. All top five pensions of 2018-19 came from retirees of schools in the Mid-Hudson, while Long Island had the highest average at almost $90,000, as shown in the table below.
Excluding New York City educators, who belong to a separate city retirement system, the average maximum pension for all 5,537 newly retired NYSTRS members was $48,705. The total includes both part- and full-time public school teachers, many of whom met only a minimum five-year requirement to vest in the pension system.
The number of NYSTRS retirees eligible for annual benefits of $100,000 or more has increased by nearly five-fold since the first school year Empire Center began collecting the data in 2007-08. Last year, 3,802 members were eligible for six-figure benefits, including 224 in the latest group of retirees. Six-figure pensioners included 40 retirees eligible for benefits of $200,000 to $300,000, and four eligible for pensions exceeding $300,000. The top NYSTRS pension earner retiring in 2018-19 was former Washingtonville head of curriculum and instruction Janet Seaman, who can collect up to $199,265.
The full list of NYSTRS retirees and their pension benefit levels was made public thanks to the Empire Center’s successful court challenge to efforts by pension funds to conceal this information from taxpayers. The Center remains involved in litigation to protect and expand the public’s ability to examine public pensions.
The Empire Center, based in Albany, is an independent, not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to promoting policies that can make New York a better place to live, work and raise a family.
You may also like
Switching to Electric Home Heating Could Add Thousands to Energy Bills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ALBANY, N.Y. that heating an average home from October to March would cost approximately $790 with natural gas, compared with $1,100 with a heat pump and $3,300 with electr Read More
Poll: 64% of New Yorkers Back Eliminating the State Income Tax; 67% Say State Taxes Aren’t Delivering
Dissatisfaction spans party and regional lines as broad majorities rally behind sweeping tax reform
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ALBANY, N.Y. - New Yorkers are delivering a blunt assessment of the state’s tax system: 67% say they ar Read More
SUNY Research Foundation Payroll Tops $400 Million
Payroll records for 8,401 employees of the Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF SUNY) for fiscal year 2026 are , the Empire Center's government transparency website.
The Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit educational co Read More
Newly Retired NYC Firefighters Average Over $177k In Pensions
New York City firefighters and fire officers retiring last year after full careers were entitled to average annual pension benefits of $177,016, according to , the Empire Center's government transparency website.
Among the 499 new retirees with at leas Read More
New York Annual Household Electricity Costs Rise $270
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s average residential electricity price reached 29.90 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in July 2026, the fifth highest in the nation and 63.3 percent 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
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