How New York City is run
Who runs New York City, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from New York City's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs New York City
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
- Committee chairs and other Council officers can be paid an allowance on top of salary, fixed by resolution after a hearing.
New York City city staff
307,199 full-time-equivalent positions, including Pedagogical (school staff) 132,805, Civilian 113,562, Uniformed 60,832. FY2026-27. Authorized full-time positions at city agencies in the FY2026-27 adopted plan. NYC Comptroller · Aug 12, 2026
The City posts pay for every employee by name and title in its open payroll data, about 550,000 records for FY2024-25. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is New York City in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $0 (2025-06-30). That means every dollar the general fund has saved is set aside in a named reserve or category, not that it has no savings. NYC Comptroller · Oct 30, 2025
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Property tax$37.3B · 30%
- State grants$20.81B · 17%
- Personal income tax (incl. pass-through entity tax)$20.76B · 16%
- Sales tax$11.5B · 9%
- Business income taxes$11.44B · 9%
- Federal grants$7.37B · 6%
- Non-tax revenue (fees, fines, interest, charges)$7.02B · 6%
- Other (real estate transfer and other taxes, other grants)$9.63B · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Other city agencies$35.03B · 28%
- Education (schools and CUNY)$34.11B · 27%
- Employee fringe benefits and pensions$24.36B · 19%
- Social services$23.37B · 19%
- Debt service$7.37B · 6%
- Judgments and claims$1.15B · 1%
- Other (general reserve)$450M · 0%
Who provides your services
Not everything in New York City is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- FireThe cityFDNY (Fire Department)FDNY · Oct 11, 2026
- Ambulance (EMS)The cityFDNY Emergency Medical ServiceAbout 4,500 EMTs, paramedics and EMS officers work for the FDNY.FDNY · Oct 11, 2026
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | Mount KiscoNY | SuffernNY | New YorkNY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,757 | 11,796 | 8,584,629 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $181,551 | $122,004 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $8,000 | $15,914 | $175,500 |
| General fund per resident | $2,628 | $1,572 | $14,659 |
| Debt per resident | $4,670 | $1,319 | $13,214 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $281 | $527 | $3,153 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 5.5 | 35.8 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Mount Kisco pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What New York City publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe First Deputy Mayor is appointed by the Mayor under an executive order. We found no employment contract or salary document posted. NYC Mayor's Office · Jan 1, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online New York City Council · Sep 24, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online New York City Council · Oct 11, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentLocal Law 134 of 2026 sets Council member pay at $175,500 and the Speaker's at $194,400. New York City Local Law 134 of 2026 (Int. No. 983-A): compensation of elected officials · Aug 18, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Retiree health benefits (OPEB) carry a $96.44 billion net liability, far more than the $27.06 billion net pension liability. Is there a plan to fund it?
- Debt outstanding was $113.43 billion on June 30, 2025. How fast will debt service grow as the capital program continues?
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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