This release includes corrections to some erroneous summaries of data in our original release as posted on May 27.
Payroll for Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) in calendar year 2019 increased by more than $150 million, according to data released today on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website.
Payroll at Port Authority totaled more than $997 million last year, an 18 percent increase from $845 million in payroll in 2018. This includes an increase of more than $30 million in overtime and an almost $18 million increase in other extra pay such as shift differentials and holiday pay. The average pay among all Port Authority employees was $114,391 in 2019. The median pay was $107,587.
The highest paid group of employees, the Port Authority Police Department, collected average total pay of $144,929 in 2019. Of the 2,118 Port Authority police department employees, 124 were paid at least $100,000 in overtime.
Of the 1,970 Port Authority police officers in 2019, defined as members of the Police Benevolent Association, 69 were paid at least $100,000 in overtime, increasing the total overtime payments for the Port Authority police to $86 million, an increase of $16 million from 2018. Their average pay was $149,097.
In total, more than 55 percent of the 8,721 Port Authority employees in 2019 were paid six-figures, including 74 percent of the Port Authority Police Department. The number of employees who were paid more than $200,000 in 2019 more than doubled from 243 to 688. Employees paid more than $300,000 increased from four to 53 in 2019.
The Authority is also paying nearly $214 million in retroactive wages. The largest retro payment was $164,043 paid to a retiree who is now deceased.
The three highest paid employees, including overtime and other extra pay, were:
- Regina Womack, police sergeant, with a total pay of $423,467, including $259,717 in overtime on top of her annual rate of $136,000, with $105,800 more slated to come in retro-payments;
- Bernard Buckner, police sergeant, with total pay of $376,040, including $204,968 in overtime, $39,241 in extra pay and $131,831 in base pay, and is set to receive $106,603 in retro-payments; and
- Nicholas Yum, police lieutenant, with total pay of $374,588, including $168,022 in overtime, $57,214 in extra pay and $149,352 in base pay, while also being slated to earn $99,075 in retro-payments.
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
Nine Millionaires among NY’s Public Authorities in 2025
Nine millionaires, all healthcare executives, emerged among the 88,228 New York public authority employees, according to, the Empire Center’s transparency website.
The data includes payroll information from 385 different agen Read More
132 NYSLRS Retirees Receive Pensions Over $200K in FY2026
A total of 132 retirees from the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) were eligible to collect $200,000 or more in pensions during the 2026 fiscal year, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
Among the 132 Read More
Empire Center Poll: Just 4 Percent Approve of New York’s Education System
ALBANY, N.Y. — New Yorkers gave the state’s education system a sweeping vote of no confidence: 47 percent said the state should improve student performance, 41 percent said it should improve performance while spending less, and only 4 Read More
New York’s electricity prices climb to third highest in the U.S.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALBANY, N.Y. — Empire Center’s shows New York households paid the third-highest residential electricity prices in the country in May 2026, trailing only Hawaii and California.
The latest U.S. Energy Information Administra Read More
Port Authority Payroll Passes $1.2B as 20 Employees Collect $400k+
Twenty Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) employees collected more than $400,000 each in total pay last year, while average pay agencywide rose three percent, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
The Por Read More
NYC Employee Pension Payments Rise To $6.2 billion
The pension plan covering most New York city government agencies, including the City’s subway system, had 62 members with pension payments of at least $200,000 last year, according to , the Empire Center’s transparency website.
According to the d Read More
Empire Center Poll: New Yorkers Prioritize Low Energy Prices and Have Little Appetite for Radical Climate Policies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALBANY, N.Y. — New Yorkers across political, geographic, age, and income groups oppose energy and climate policies that raise energy prices or force changes on homeowners, according to new Empire Center analysis Read More
New York’s Electricity Prices Fourth Highest in the Country
New York households are paying the fourth-highest electricity prices in the country, according to the Empire Center's In April 2026, residential electricity prices in New York averaged 29.45 cents per kilowatt-hour - 56 percent above the national average Read More