Bonuses paid out by Wall Street for 2025 rose nine percent year-over-year, reaching a record US$49.2 billion on the heels of a surge in financial sector activity, the New York State Comptroller's Office said on Thursday.

The average bonus rose six percent to US$246,900, according to Comptroller Thomas P DiNapoli's annual estimate.

"Wall Street saw strong performance for much of last year, despite all of the ongoing domestic and international upheavals," DiNapoli said in a statement, noting that total profits had jumped 30 percent to US$65.1 billion.

In 2025, major US banks and investment firms reported strong performances in their asset management and wealth management businesses, as well as in equity brokerage and private equity.

New York authorities depend on tax revenues generated from the sector.

In fiscal year 2024-25, the industry accounted for 19.4 percent of the state's tax collections, and 8.4 percent of city tax revenue in 2025, the statement said.

In 2024, the most recent year for which data is available, the average salary in the securities sector – including bonuses – reached US$505,677, the second-highest level in history and nearly five times the average private-sector salary in the US economic capital. (AFP)



Edited by Cecil Wong