ALBANY, NY — 2020 payroll data for a total of 79,146 employees at 331 different New York State public authorities is now posted at SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website.

2021 payroll data is also posted for a total of 11,073 employees at 23 public authorities.

The Empire Center posts public authority payroll data on a rolling basis as it is received.

For 2020, among public authorities closest to the governor’s office, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) had the highest average salary as reported by the state Public Authorities Reporting Information System. NYSERDA’s 355 employees were paid an average of $102,072. Alfred Griffin, then-president of NYSERDA’s New York Green Bank, topped the list at $216,458.  Griffin left the post this past February.

Among the other authorities in the newly posted 2020 salary database:

The payroll data reflect pay received during employer fiscal years ending in 2020. Previous updates to public authority payroll data for fiscal year 2020 include the payrolls from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.

Among those public authorities reporting 2021 payroll data, NYSERDA has the highest average pay.  It paid 357 employees an average of $107,679. Highest among them was Brian Lee, Managing Director of Green Bank, who was paid $201,863.

Other authorities in the 2021 salary database include:

  • New York State Dormitory Authority (529 employees, Avg. Salary $100,773)
  • Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corporation (3,192 employees, Avg. Salary $92,813)
  • Environmental Facilities Corporation (95 employees, Avg. Salary $86,451)
  • Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (1,684 employees, Avg. Salary $54,825)
  • Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (1,011 employees, Avg. Salary $51,668)

Not reflected in the payroll data are the costs of pensions, health insurance for employees and retirees, and other benefits.

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

NYC Employee Pension Payments Cross $6 billion; 70 Members Collect $200k+

The pension plan covering most New York City government agencies, including the City’s subway system, had 70 members with pension payments of at least $200,000 last year, almost quadrupling 2019’s tally of 19, according to new , the Read More

23 MTA Workers Receive $200K in Overtime as Total Payroll Surpasses $8 Billion

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)’s payroll surpassed $8 billion in 2024 – a 2.6 percent increase since 2023, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website. Overtime, as measured using payroll records, totaled $ Read More

Teacher Pensions Added to SeeThroughNY Include 26 Over $300k

New York’s two teacher pension systems last year had 26 retirees eligible to collect pensions of more than $300,000, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website. Data reported from Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of Read More

Educators Receiving $200k+ Doubles in Five Years

The number of school district employees receiving a total compensation of more than $200,000 have more than doubled since 2019, according to posted today at , the Empire Center’s transparency website. The public educator pay data are based on Fiscal Ye Read More

2022 New York State Government Payroll Posted on SeeThroughNY 

The 2022 New York state government payroll detailing pay records for individuals who last year worked in the state’s executive, legislative or judicial branches is now searchable on SeeThroughNY. Read More

Six-figure NYSLRS pensions quadruple in ten years

The number of New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) retirees eligible for six-figure pensions quadrupled over the last seven years. Read More

Average Pay Spiked Last Year at Some NY Public Authorities

ALBANY, NY — 2021 for 82,513 New York public authority employees working at 320 different agencies is newly posted on , the Empire Center’s transparency website. The site now contains 2021 payroll data for a total of 172,947 emplo Read More

Average Pay Spiked at Port Authority in 2021

Average pay for Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) employees increased nearly 10 percent last year, to $123,000. Read More