New York Comptroller Reports 2025 Wall Street Bonuses Averaged $246,500
The New York State Comptroller’s office reported Thursday that the average cash bonus for securities industry employees working in New York City was $246,500 for 2025, a 6% increase from 2024, even before counting stock options and other deferred pay. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the industry’s profits climbed more than 30% to $65.1 billion, pushing the total securities bonus pool to a record $49.2 billion, up 9% year over year. The report credits strong trading revenues in a year of market turmoil and uncertainty tied to the Trump administration’s tariff policies, which boosted volatility and deal activity across Wall Street desks. Adjusted for inflation, however, the bonus pool remains below its 2006 peak of $53.7 billion and below the pandemic boom years of 2020–21, tempering the headline numbers. DiNapoli stressed that Wall Street’s strength remains critical to New York State and City budgets because of the sector’s outsized tax contributions, but he warned that slowing job growth and rising geopolitical conflict could pose risks to the financial sector and the broader economy.
📌 Key Facts
- Average Wall Street securities bonus in 2025 was $246,500, up 6% from 2024
- Total New York City securities industry bonus pool reached a record $49.2 billion, a 9% increase from 2024
- New York State Comptroller’s report says 2025 securities industry profits rose more than 30% to $65.1 billion
- The comptroller notes that, adjusted for inflation, the bonus pool peaked in 2006 at $53.7 billion and exceeded 2025 levels in 2020 and 2021
- DiNapoli warns that slowing job growth and geopolitical conflict now pose risks to Wall Street and the wider economy
📊 Relevant Data
In 2025, women comprised 36.4% of employees in the securities, commodities, funds, trusts, and other financial investments industry, while men comprised 63.6%.
Employed people by detailed industry, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity — Bureau of Labor Statistics
In 2025, the workforce in the securities industry was 78.3% White, 12.8% Asian, 7.3% Black or African American, and 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, compared to U.S. population estimates of approximately 58.9% non-Hispanic White, 6.3% Asian, 13.6% Black, and 19.1% Hispanic.
Employed people by detailed industry, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity — Bureau of Labor Statistics
In 2025, women in the financial sector earned approximately 81 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Understanding Wall Street's Gender Pay Gap: Causes and Solutions — Investopedia
In 2025, the gender pay gap was widest for Black and Hispanic women, who earned 67 cents and 58 cents, respectively, for every dollar a White man earns.
Gender pay gaps vary by state, industry, job and race and ethnicity — Yahoo Finance
The securities industry contributed $6.7 billion to New York City's budget in fiscal year 2025 through business and personal income taxes, representing about 8.4% of the city's total tax revenue.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
"A Fox News opinion piece criticizes Gov. Kathy Hochul for policies and rhetoric that the author says drove wealthy New Yorkers to Florida, argues those departures eroded the state's tax base, and condemns Hochul’s recent plea for those residents to return as hypocritical and inadequate."
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