New York’s state and local government employees collect higher
retirement benefits while contributing less than those in other states,
according to a Public Policy Institute analysis of new data from the U.S.
Census Bureau.
State and local government employees in New York collected an average
$11,882 in 2003, some 42 percent above the national average, according
to the Institute. The average figure includes retirees who worked part-time
or full-time.
The analysis found that New York government employees are contributed
8 percent of their pension fund's revenue in 2003. The nation-wide average
was 20 percent. Government employees in Kansas contribute about 56 percent
of that state’s total pension funds.
Despite that low contribution, New York government employees receive the
third highest average benefit in the nation. The average, $11,882 is 42
percent above the national average of $6,930 per recipient. Only Rhode
Island and Connecticut have higher benefits than New York.
An October, 2004, PPI analysis of Census Bureau data found that New York’s
state and local governments pay public employees more than any state except
California, and the number of government workers compared to population
is among the highest in the country.
That analysis found that average annual pay for government workers in New York was $51,445 in 2003, the second-highest annual pay in the nation and 26 percent above the national average of $40,717.
A table with displaying pension numbers, including cost, average benefit, and average contribution, can be found at www.bcnys.org/whatsnew/2005/0407pensiontable.