By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-25 23:20:38 | Updated at 2026-07-26 00:43:05
1 hour ago
New York lawmakers are quietly looking to boost their salaries after the Big Apple's city council bumped their pay to $175,000 – making them the highest paid in the Empire State.
Last week, New York City council approved an 18.2% pay raise, plumping their salaries from $148,500 to $175,500.
Voting passed 42-6 by an independent commission that was formed in tandem with the mayor, and it is the first time since 2016 that councilmen's salaries have risen.
It would also raise salaries for other city politicians, such as Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has declined to accept the additional $47,000 a year, which would have made his pay $305,800 annually.
'I haven’t knocked on anyone’s door in New York City and they’ve said that their concern is that the mayor makes too little,' Mamdani, who also lives in taxpayer-funded Grace Mansion, said at a press conference.
Council Speaker Julie Menin, who is a millionaire, has also declined the pay bump. However, other positions, like councilmembers, public advocate, borough presidents and more will receive the generous raise.
'Speaker Menin has consistently maintained that any changes to elected officials’ compensation should only be based on the recommendations of an independent commission. She abstained from voting on the bill and will decline any pay increase herself,' a spokesperson for Menin told the Daily Mail.
And it seems Albany lawmakers want in on the cash grab, as Assembly sources told the New York Post they're now eyeing a salary increase too, as they haven't had a raise since December 2022. They currently make $142,000 a year.
Speaker Carl Heastie has yet to confirm if the State Assembly will go forward with begging taxpayers for an increase, but he told Politico last week he doesn't oppose it.
Members of the New York State Assembly are vying for a 26 percent pay raise after NYC councilmembers bumped their salaries to $175,000 a year. Speaker Carl Heastie has yet to confirm if lawmakers will beg taxpayers for a raise, but said he didn't oppose it
Assemblymembers, pictured in the state chamber, currently make $142,000
'I don’t know if there’s enough money that could pay for the sacrifices that legislators make,' he told the outlet.
'Six months of the year, you’re away from your family. So, I’m always supportive of members getting paid.'
Meanwhile, the average household income in the Empire State is $86,000, according to the latest US Census data. In the Big Apple specifically, residents make on average $80,500 per household.
US service members, where more than 50,000 were recently deployed to the Middle East to deal with the Iranian conflict, make less than that. Overseas deployments often last six months to a year and leaving service members unable to see their families.
An enlisted soldier in the Army, from private to staff sergeant, will make a salary of anywhere between $25,300 and $53,300, not including compensations for housing, clothing and bonuses.
A first-year enlisted Army soldier makes on average $67,300 in total compensation.
For Navy sailors, from an apprentice to a chief petty officer, would make a base salary of $27,800 to $49,600, not including housing, medical, and retirement. With those included, those ranks reach a total compensation of $93,300 to $124,000.
But despite not going to war, Albany lawmakers are ready to go to battle to up their cushy lifestyles via their enormous salaries, sources said.
Council Speaker Julie Menin (right), who is a millionaire, has denied to pay raised. Mayor Zohran Mamdani (right), who would also have received a bump in pay, also said he would not be taking the increase
There's reportedly a potential push to come back for a special session in December to approve the pay raise in Albany. However, Heastie told Politico that he doesn't foresee it happening.
'There's nothing, I think, on the radar right now,' he told the outlet.
He did, however, acknowledge that similar conversations do arise whenever NYC councilmembers get a raise.
'Even if we’re going to do it, you’re not going to hear a word about it until November,' a State Assembly member told the outlet.
Assemblyman Tony Simone, who represents a portion of Manhattan, said raising the salary would help attract 'diverse and qualified' candidates from 'all walks of life.'
New York assemblymen remain as the highest-paid in the nation. Additionally, despite making less than city council, assemblymembers are allowed to make up to 25% of their income, or roughly $35,000, from outside sources. Councilmembers, for their part, cannot.
And in March, a bill was introduced by Senator James Sanders Jr to give members a 26% raise.
The bill also proposed an annual cost-of-living increase.
In March, a bill was introduced to raise the assembly's pay to $180,000 starting in 2028. 'I don’t know if there’s enough money that could pay for the sacrifices that legislators make,' Heastie said
The piece of legislation justified the increase by stating that members had to oversee 'one of the largest state budgets in the United States,' and have to offer 'year-round constituent services,' among other things.
'These responsibilities are not episodic or seasonal. They demand continuous engagement, sustained availability, decision-making under pressure, and a high level of professional expertise throughout the calendar year,' it read.
It currently resides in the State Senate committee. If it passed, it would raise salaries to $180,000 starting on January 1, 2028, with a cost-of-living bump each year.
Despite NYC councilmembers individually making more than double the average city household, they are not the highest paid in the nation.
The City of Los Angeles holds the highest paid title with members making $207,000 a year.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Speaker Heastie and NYC city council for comment.
