Wall Street and Financial Sector

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.