Suffolk Leads State in High-Paid Government Workers

A staggering 1,213 Long Island government employees earned more than Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $250,000 annual salary,

accounting for more than three-quarters of the 1,567 statewide who exceeded her pay.

Suffolk County government alone had 705 employees earning more than the governor, compared with 350 in Nassau County government, according to the Empire Center for Public Policy’s What They Make 2026 report. Additional high earners worked for town and village governments. Suffolk also recorded the state’s largest county payroll at $1.08 billion, covering 11,085 employees whose average earnings reached $96,981. Nassau employees averaged $114,732, the highest county average statewide. Long Island’s 37,210 local government employees collectively earned $3.16 billion, averaging $84,874, the highest regional average statewide. More than one-third earned at least $100,000. Police and correction officers dominated the highest salary brackets. Suffolk’s 2,643 police personnel averaged $170,077, while county correction officers averaged $141,576, the highest in New York. The highest-paid local government employee statewide was Alan Bakker of the Northport Village Police Department, who collected $485,632, nearly twice the governor’s salary. Suffolk County police employee Keith Anderson earned $413,132.Suffolk correction officer Charles L’Hommedieu earned $353,711, making him the highest-paid local government employee outside police and fire classifications. The report used pensionable earnings submitted to the New York State and Local Retirement System for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, including overtime and other compensation beyond base salaries.