The Average Wall Street Bonus Decreased By 26% in 2022, According to a New Report It's the largest drop since the Great Recession.

By Gabrielle Bienasz

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

ANGELA WEISS / Contributor I Getty Images

Wall Street bonuses took a hit in 2022.

According to data analyzed by the New York State Comptroller, people employed in the "securities industry" in New York City saw their bonuses drop 26% — from an average of $240,400 in 2021 to $176,700 in 2022, Bloomberg reported.

Securities industry workers include people who participate in things taken on by large financial institutions — including underwriting securities and helping to buy and sell commodities or securities.

The comptroller's report said the total bonus pool for securities workers in 2022 was $33.7 billion, down from $42.7 billion the year prior. In addition to lamentable effects on the City's coffers, the decrease was "the largest drop since the Great Recession," according to the report.

Since 2008, the average bonuses for securities industry workers went up by 75.2%, left-leaning think tank the Institute for Policy Studies said in a report released Thursday that analyzed the Comptroller data and Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

"By contrast, average weekly earnings for all U.S. private sector workers increased by only 54.4 percent during this period," IPS wrote,

Gabrielle Bienasz is a staff writer at BIZ Experiences. She previously worked at Insider and Inc. Magazine. 

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Starting a Business

These Brothers Started a Business to Improve an Everyday Task. They Made Their First Products in the Garage — Now They've Raised Over $100 Million.

Coulter and Trent Lewis had an early research breakthrough that helped them solve for the right problem.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Franchise

How to Prepare Your Business — And Yourself — For a Smooth Exit

After decades of building your business, turning it over to someone else can be emotional. But with the right mindset and a strong plan, it can also be your proudest moment.

Franchise

10 No-Office-Required Businesses You Can Start for as Little as $5,000

With strong Franchise 500 rankings and investment levels starting under $5,000, these brands are ready for new owners to hit the ground running.

Business News

Here Are the 10 Jobs AI Is Most Likely to Automate, According to a Microsoft Study

These careers are most likely to be affected by generative AI, based on data from 200,000 conversations with Microsoft's Copilot chatbot.