Exploring The Costs Of Incarceration In New York State

Maybe crime does pay! You might be surprised how much it costs to house prisoners in New York State. Spoiler alert: It's probably more than your hotel on vacation costs. When you see the cost, you might realize other options may be more economical to deal with non-violent, lower-level crimes. Prisons are big business. In some states, for-profit prisons make a ton of money for housing inmates. But the cost of keeping a person in prison is not cheap. According to the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law,

"The mean annual costs to house inmates was nearly $30,000, but some states spent more than $40,000. Jurisdictions spend $80 billion every year in jails and prisons similar to the federal government’s budget for the Department of Education."

KEEP READING: New York Spent $420 Million On Hotels For The Homeless

Getty Images

As of June 1, 2025, there are currently 31,182 incarcerated individuals in custody at New York State's 42 facilities. Green Haven Correctional Facility is the most populated, with 1,827 prisoners. The prison with the least number of inmates is Edgecombe Residential Treatment Facility, with a total of 10.

The cost of supervising, transporting, feeding, housing, and providing healthcare to all these prisoners falls on the State of New York via the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. There is also the cost of paying corrections officers and staff. NYS prison guards recently held an illegal strike to voice their grievances with the HALT Act, which prevents them from weaponizing solitary confinement.

They also claimed they are underpaid. A report by the Vera Institute points out that even though the population of incarcerated individuals has plummeted in New York, the budget has remained steady. Per the report, there were around 56,000 prisoners in 2011. By 2021, the number had dropped to almost 31,000.

"Despite a 45 percent decrease in the prison population from 2011 to operating budget decreased by a mere 5 percent, adjusting for inflation. And while uniformed headcount decreased by only 11 percent, the budget for uniformed officers increased during that time frame, suggesting increases to salaries and benefits. Spending on staffing remains a clear obstacle to reducing the DOCCS budget: 47 percent of DOCCS's $3.5 billion budget in Fiscal Year 2022 was allocated to uniformed corrections officers."

Here's How Much Prisoners In New York Cost Taxpayers

Getty Images

KEEP READING: Trends In Inmate Aging: A Look At New York’s Prisons

In state prisons, New York spends an average of over $315 a day, or nearly $115,000 per year, to incarcerate one person.

For less than $315 per day, you could stay at:

- Albany - Staybridge Suites Albany Wolf Rd-Colonie Center with a 9.3 (Wonderful) rating
- Buffalo - Wyndham Garden Buffalo Downtown with an 8.6 (Very good) rating
- New York City - Ameritania at Times Square with an 8.1 (Very good) rating
- Rochester - Country Inn & Suites Rochester-Pittsford with an 8.4 (Very good) rating
- Syracuse - Marriott Syracuse Downtown with an 8.2 (Very good) rating

That's how much it costs to house an inmate in a NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision facility. When it comes to county jails, in 2019, it cost approximately $225 to incarcerate each prisoner for one night or $82,000 per year. Outside of New York City counties, jails around the state cost a total of $1.3 billion in staffing and operational expenses. According to Zip Recruiter, the average salary in New York State is $51,979 annually. So, it costs more to house an inmate in New York than most people make per year.

The state needs to look at other solutions for low-level, non-violent, non-repeat offenders. Since it costs more to put someone in prison than to pay them a salary, there have to be better ways to spend taxpayer funds.