What the payroll numbers show
Every season we compare each club's payroll with the league median that year. A spending index of 100 means a payroll equal to the median club, a club paying twice the median scores 200. From 2010 to 2019 the New York Mets had a mean spending index of 111.9; from 2021 to 2026 it was 192.8, which is 80.9 points higher. The 2020 season, shortened to 60 games, is left out of both periods.
| Period | Seasons | Mean spending index | Mean payroll rank | Best rank | Worst rank | Top-three payrolls | Seasons over the tax line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 to 2019 | 10 | 111.9 | 12.6 | 5 | 20 | 0 of 10 | 0 of 10 |
| 2021 to 2026 | 6 | 192.8 | 1.7 | 1 | 3 | 6 of 6 | 4 of 5 |
Over the first period the club's payroll ranked as high as number 5 and as low as number 20, and sat in the top three in 0 of 10 seasons. Over the second period it ranked as high as number 1 and as low as number 3, and was in the top three in 6 of 6 seasons. The club made the playoffs in 2 of 10 seasons in the first period and 2 of 6 in the second.
The competitive balance tax (the luxury tax) line is a league-wide payroll threshold; the club was over it in 0 of 10 seasons in the first period and 4 of 5 seasons in the second (2026 tax bills are not known until December).
The largest single-season moves in the index inside the table below were 2012 (149.7 to 107.1, down 42.6 points), 2022 (150.4 to 177.5, up 27.1 points), and 2023 (177.5 to 218.9, up 41.4 points).
Year by year
Payroll, league rank among the clubs that played, the spending index and the record, 2010 to 2026. Payroll is in millions of US dollars, as recorded that season (not adjusted for inflation).
| Season | Payroll ($M) | Payroll rank | Spending index | Record | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 346.7 | 1 | 197.0 | 74-88 | No |
| 2025 | 340.1 | 2 | 211.0 | 83-79 | No |
| 2024 | 324.3 | 1 | 201.8 | 89-73 | Yes |
| 2023 | 349.1 | 1 | 218.9 | 75-87 | No |
| 2022 | 266.7 | 2 | 177.5 | 101-61 | Yes |
| 2021 | 201.2 | 3 | 150.4 | 77-85 | No |
| 2020 (60 games) | 81.9 | 6 | 128.3 | 26-34 | No |
| 2019 | 146.8 | 12 | 104.6 | 86-76 | No |
| 2018 | 150.2 | 12 | 106.4 | 77-85 | No |
| 2017 | 144.0 | 15 | 101.6 | 70-92 | No |
| 2016 | 147.2 | 12 | 109.4 | 87-75 | Yes |
| 2015 | 115.7 | 17 | 97.9 | 90-72 | Yes |
| 2014 | 94.5 | 20 | 85.5 | 79-83 | No |
| 2013 | 101.3 | 14 | 101.2 | 74-88 | No |
| 2012 | 105.0 | 14 | 107.1 | 74-88 | No |
| 2011 | 141.8 | 5 | 149.7 | 77-85 | No |
| 2010 | 127.7 | 5 | 155.4 | 79-83 | No |
Valuation and revenue
Forbes' annual March valuations put the club at $0.81 billion in the 2013 list and $3.5 billion in the 2026 list, 4.3 times as much. The 2026 list shows $553 million of revenue and an operating loss of $213 million (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).
Forbes publishes revenue for the season before each list year. Where we have both a payroll and a revenue figure for the same season, the payroll share of revenue was:
| Payroll season | Payroll ($M) | Forbes revenue ($M) | Payroll as percent of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 340.1 | 553 | 61.5 |
| 2024 | 324.3 | 444 | 73.0 |
| 2022 | 266.7 | 374 | 71.3 |
| 2021 | 201.2 | 302 | 66.6 |
Who owned the club
- Wilpon family (Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon, Saul Katz), 2002 to 2020. Reported price: $391 million. (Price of Doubleday's remaining 50 percent.)
- Steve Cohen, 2021 to the present. Reported price: $2.475 billion. (Price listed on a public owners list; a Wilpon biography says approximately $2.4 billion for 95 percent.)
Data notes
This page reports what the payroll and ownership records show. It does not say why payroll moved. Payroll is the sum of recorded player salaries through 2009 and the full club payroll allocation from 2010, which also counts injured-list, retained and buried money. The two series overlap for 2010 to 2016; computed on either one, a club's spending index differs by 9.4 points (mean over club-seasons), so a small change across 2009 and 2010 should not be read as a change in spending. Both comparison periods above are on the 2010-on series. Purchase prices and sale dates are as publicly reported; every row keeps its source, listed on the sources page. Valuations and revenue are Forbes' annual March estimates, and there is no 2024 list. See the New York Mets owner page, how the spending index is built and the New York Mets payroll history.
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