

State and local government employees in New York collect taxpayer-guaranteed pension benefits that are far more generous than those available to most private-sector workers. The calculator below shows just how generous those benefits can be.
The cost of public pensions has blown through the roof, with financial consequences that will affect generations of New Yorkers to come. And it’s not just pensions: state and local governments have promised over $250 billion in post-retirement health care — but set aside no money to pay for it.
To learn more about the problem:
- Read the Empire Center report, “New York’s Exploding Pension Costs.”
- Search the pension database of more than 3.7 million records for over 650,000 retired state and local government employees at SeeThroughNY.net.
- Read “Iceberg Ahead, ” the Empire Center’s study of unfunded government retiree healthcare obligations.
- Join our email list and keep up to date with the latest on this and other Empire Center reports and projects.
- E.J. McMahon sounded the alarm about the Empire Center’s findings on YNN’s Capital Tonight and with Joe Spector of Gannett News Service.
Tags: Pensions
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Testimony of E.J. McMahon
Testimony of Edmund J. McMahon
Before the NY State Senate Civil Service and Pension Committee
October 11, 2023
(Text as prepared and submitted)
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The number of retired New York City educators who received pensions over $200,000 continues to grow, reaching 117 last year. Read More

Six-figure NYSLRS pensions quadruple in ten years
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Public School Retiree Pensions Set New Record
Average pension benefits for newly retired public educators outside New York City reached a record high last year Read More

Tiering Up
New York taxpayers have been hit with enormous increases in pension costs for state and local government employees over the past 20 years. From less than $1 billion in 2000, combined annual employer contributions to the Empire State’s public pension funds escalated to nearly $10 billion by 2010, peaking at nearly $17 billion in 2015. Contributions have leveled off at roughly $16 billion in recent years—but under lenient government accounting standards, even that figure conceals the full long-term cost of generous, locked-in pension benefits for generations of retired government employees. Read More
Testimony of E.J. McMahon
- October 11, 2023
NYC Fire Pensions Hit New High
- October 6, 2023
$5.5 Billion NYCERS Pension Payments Include $70 Million in Back Pay
- September 12, 2023
The False Claim Behind Albany’s Gray Scare
- March 27, 2023
Six-figure NYSLRS pensions quadruple in ten years
- July 29, 2022
Public School Retiree Pensions Set New Record
- January 11, 2022
Tiering Up
- December 14, 2021