The average bonus on Wall Street last year was $176,500. That’s down slightly from 2022

NEW YORK — The average Wall Street bonus fell slightly last year to $176,500 as the industry added workers and took a “more cautious approach” to compensation, the New York state comptroller said Tuesday.

The average bonus for workers in New York City’s securities industry was down 2% from $180,000 in 2022. The slight decline came even as profits on Wall Street rose 1.8% last year, according to Thomas’ annual estimate DiNapoli, the state comptroller.

DiNapoli’s office said the slight decline could be attributed to the compensation approach as more workers joined the securities industry.

Last year the industry employed 198,500 people in New York City, compared to 191,600 in 2022.

For 2023, the bonus pool was $33.8 billion, which is largely unchanged from the previous year.

The average Wall Street bonus reached an all-time high of $240,400 in 2021, compared to a relative low of $111,400 in 2011.

Wall Street is a major source of state and city tax revenue, accounting for an estimated 27% of New York State tax revenue and 7% of city tax revenue, the comptroller said.

“While these bonuses will impact income tax revenues for the state and the city, both are budgeted for larger declines, so the impact on projected revenues should be limited,” DiNapoli said in a prepared statement. “The continued strength of the securities sector should not overshadow the broader economic picture. in New York, where we need all sectors to fully recover from the pandemic.”