New York state payroll for 2008 posted online

ALBANY — The entire New York state 2008 government payroll is now online.

On Monday, the Empire Center for New York State Policy, an Albany-based project of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, posted state payroll data on its government transparency Web site, www.SeeThroughNY.net.

The searchable database includes names, job titles, base pay rates and total pay received by all 367,732 of the people who worked for any of the three governmental branches — executive, legislative or judicial — at any point during 2008.

Examples of available workforce data include:

■ Factoring in overtime and other additional pay, 833 state employees’ earnings for the year exceed the governor’s salary of $179,000.

■ Statewide in 2008, excluding SUNY and CUNY, 232 people were hired at base pay rates of $100,000 and more; 1,784 were hired at rates of $50,000 or more; and 5,374 at rates of $30,000 and more.

■ Former Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer got salary payments totaling $39,614 last year.

SeeThroughNY.net also contains payroll databases for 19 of the state’s public authorities and New York City municipal government, teachers’ and superintendents’ contracts for 733 school districts, legislative “pork barrel” member item grants, and operational spending by both chambers of the Legislature.

Check it out online at: www.seethroughny.net.