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.
About the Author
You may also like
NYC Public Educator Pensions Rise Again
Average pension benefits paid to newly retired public educators in New York City rose again in 2020, according to data posted today at SeeThroughNY.net for New York City Teachers’ Retirement System (NYCTRS). Read More
Average Pension Benefits for Retired Public Educators Hit New Record High
Average pension benefits for newly retired public educators most of the Empire State hit a new record high in 2019-20, according to data posted today at SeeThroughNY.net for New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS), which covers public education professionals outside New York City. Read More
FDNY Adds More $200K Pensions As New Career Retirees Average $140K
More than three-quarters of last year’s retirees from the City of New York’s Fire Department (FDNY) were eligible for six-figure pensions, with 40 of them eligible for pensions over $200,000 according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
EDITORIAL: CAN WE AFFORD SIX -FIGURE PENSION AS THE NORM?
Six-figure pensions are becoming the norm among retirees from New York’s largest downstate suburban police departments, according to data posted at SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
FDNY Pensions Average More Than $129,000
The 471 Fire Department of New York (FDNY) officers and firefighters who retired in calendar year 2018 are eligible for average pensions of $129,259, according to data posted today at SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
Pensions New York taxpayers can’t afford
Another day, another shocking Empire Center revelation. Announcing the latest update to its SeeThroughNY database of New York public employee pensions, the watchdog flagged the city government retirees now scoring the highest pensions. Read More
Fiscal Watchdog Wins Open Records Case
The Empire Center for Public Policy on Monday notched a victory in state court Monday after a judge found the names of retired New York City police officers who receive pensions are public records that must be released. Read More
Corrections Retirees Had Highest Average NYCERS Pensions
Corrections Department employees qualified for average pensions of nearly $70,000, the highest average benefit for any agency grouping among the 7,990 New York City Employee Retirement System (NYCERS) members collecting their first full year’s worth of pension benefits in 2018, according to data posted today at SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
"...the Empire Center is the think tank that spent months trying to pry Covid data out of Mr. Cuomo's government, which offered a series of unbelievable excuses for its refusal to disclose...five months after it (the Empire Center) sued, Team Cuomo finally started coughing up some of the records." -Wall Street Journal, February 19, 2021
SIGN UP TO READ ABOUT THE ISSUES IMPACTING NEW YORKERS.