Average Salary in New York and Cost of Living

Average and median wage in New York

Half of the 9,688,000 workers in New York earn less than $59,670 a year, the median wage, while the average pay is $82,460, or $39.65 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% make $35,760 or less and the top 10% $157,500 or more. The average is 18% more than the U.S. average ($69,770) and the median 17% more than the U.S. median ($50,980).

$36K10th
$41K25th
$60KMedian
$99K75th
$158K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay level	New York per year	Per hour*	U.S. per year
Average	$82,460	$39.64	$69,770
Median	$59,670	$28.69	$50,980
10th percentile	$35,760	$17.19	$31,200
25th percentile	$41,160	$19.79	$37,590
75th percentile	$98,810	$47.50	$80,520
90th percentile	$157,500	$75.72	$128,560

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Statewide figures include every employer in the state, metro and rural. Median vs. average salary · reading percentiles.

Average salary by city in New York

New York$86,310
Ithaca$76,980
Albany$71,830
Kiryas Joel$67,700
Syracuse$67,470
Rochester$67,420
Buffalo$66,480
Binghamton$65,460
Kingston$63,440
Glens Falls$62,240
Utica$61,760
Elmira$61,430
Watertown$59,110

Map of New York metro areas

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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Salary, take-home pay and cost of living by city

City	Average	Median	Take-home*	Cost of living	Home value
New York	$86,310	$61,430	$65,407	113	$727,625
Ithaca	$76,980	$58,130	$59,357	103	$353,120
Albany	$71,830	$58,460	$56,017	100	$370,533
Kiryas Joel	$67,700	$50,990	$53,322	109	$364,400
Syracuse	$67,470	$52,990	$53,189	96	$264,903
Rochester	$67,420	$51,210	$53,157	97	$285,034
Buffalo	$66,480	$50,790	$52,488	96	$288,316
Binghamton	$65,460	$49,460	$51,782	93	$198,435
Kingston	$63,440	$50,020	$50,270	101	$442,041
Glens Falls	$62,240	$49,090	$49,371	95	$313,642
Utica	$61,760	$48,970	$49,013	93	$230,265
Elmira	$61,430	$47,850	$48,765	94	$161,607
Watertown	$59,110	$47,600	$47,029	88	$230,401

*Average salary after federal and state income tax and payroll taxes for a single filer. Cost of living: BEA price parity, U.S. = 100.

Highest-paying jobs in New York

Anesthesiologists · Buffalo$457,280
Cardiologists · Syracuse$448,790
Neurologists · Buffalo$448,720
Anesthesiologists · Albany$437,170
Cardiologists · New York$420,460
Surgeons, All Other · Binghamton$417,250
Chief Executives · New York$392,410
Pediatric Surgeons · New York$388,320
Cardiologists · Buffalo$385,930
Dermatologists · Kiryas Joel$380,160

Most common jobs in New York

Job	Jobs statewide	Average	Median	Highest city average
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	663,140	$41,130	$39,620	$42,930
Retail Salespersons	238,540	$42,580	$37,720	$43,950
General and Operations Managers	206,740	$167,820	$130,860	$189,200
Registered Nurses	205,810	$113,440	$109,440	$119,600
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	195,250	$44,830	$41,640	$45,520
Fast Food and Counter Workers	168,620	$36,920	$35,250	$37,130
Cashiers	158,890	$37,540	$35,500	$38,180
Stockers and Order Fillers	146,140	$42,430	$39,030	$42,380
Waiters and Waitresses	142,940	$54,750	$47,020	$55,000
Customer Service Representatives	141,090	$52,740	$48,000	$54,410

Jobs, average and median: BLS statewide estimates. Highest city average: best-paid metro area we cover in the state.

Average salary by job family in New York

Job family	Average	Median	Jobs
Management	$186,620	$165,280	676,270
Legal	$176,900	$137,460	135,540
Computer and Mathematical	$133,590	$128,350	314,780
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical	$124,400	$103,970	617,600
Business and Financial Operations	$114,150	$100,570	726,350
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media	$105,940	$82,250	202,830
Architecture and Engineering	$105,230	$98,420	107,050
Life, Physical, and Social Science	$97,660	$83,800	84,540
Educational Instruction and Library	$80,940	$68,310	699,000
Construction and Extraction	$76,640	$70,410	319,930
Sales and Related	$71,750	$45,380	760,120
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair	$69,020	$62,600	324,910
Community and Social Service	$67,840	$61,580	209,120
Protective Service	$65,380	$56,390	322,670
Office and Administrative Support	$57,890	$51,760	1,135,680
Transportation and Material Moving	$56,260	$46,780	640,930
Production	$53,920	$47,610	289,040
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry	$47,990	$44,270	4,890
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance	$47,170	$43,850	312,210
Personal Care and Service	$45,670	$38,260	210,500
Food Preparation and Serving Related	$45,600	$37,850	729,100
Healthcare Support	$43,170	$39,880	864,920

New York income tax and take-home pay

Take-home figures on these pages apply New York's 2025 income tax rules for a single filer with the standard deduction, plus federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security and Medicare. New York City (up to 3.876%) and Yonkers income taxes are not included.

New York paycheck calculator

Cost of living: New York vs other states

New York at a glance

$2.32 trillionstate GDP (BEA, 2024)

19,872,319population (Census, 2023)

2,005reported crimes per 100,000 residents (FBI, statewide)

Average salary in other states

Salary in New York: questions

What is the average salary in New York?

$82,460 a year across all jobs, according to BLS statewide estimates (OEWS, May 2025). That is 18% more than the U.S. average ($69,770).

What is the median salary in New York?

$59,670 a year: half of New York workers earn more and half earn less. The median is lower than the average because a minority of high earners lifts the average.

What is the average hourly wage in New York?

$39.65 an hour on average, and $28.69 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

Which city in New York pays the most?

New York, with an average of $86,310 a year among the metro areas we cover.

Is New York expensive to live in?

BEA puts New York prices 8% above the U.S. average (price parity 107.9). Within the state, New York 113, Kiryas Joel 109, Ithaca 103 are the most expensive metros.

Sources and how to read this page

Statewide figures: BLS OEWS state estimates, May 2025, all occupations and every employer in the state (metro and rural areas).
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. City figures: the metro areas we cover in New York.
Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
Population and median household income: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2023.
Crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer, violent and property crimes reported by agencies statewide, latest 12 months available.

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