New York City Economic and Fiscal Monitoring

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New York City Economic and Fiscal Monitoring

The Office of the State Deputy Comptroller for the City of New York monitors New York City's fiscal condition, assists the New York State Financial Control Board, and regularly reports on the City's financial plans, major budgetary and policy issues; economic and economic development trends, and budgetary and policy issues affecting public authorities in the region, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. For questions, contact us at [email protected].

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State Grants to New York City

Education and Social Services Funding at Risk if Federal Aid to the State Declines

About 17% of the city’s total revenue for Fiscal Year 2027, totaling over $21 billion, comes from state aid, including substantial categorical grant funding for essential programs for children, families, and vulnerable residents. Major education and social service programs in New York City could be in jeopardy if federal funding cuts to the state occur.

State Grants to New York City

Overview

Foundation Aid

Building Aid

Universal Pre-K

Transportation Aid

Family Services Safety Net Assistance

State Child Welfare Services

Charter School Tuition and Lease Aid

At-Risk Youth

High-Cost Aid

Medical Assistance Administration

Child Care Block Grants

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25 Years Later: The Transformation of Lower Manhattan – An Economic Snapshot

Report Highlights Growth, Resilience, and Transformation of Neighborhoods Around Ground Zero

Lower Manhattan has undergone a profound transformation in the 25 years since the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The area boasts a diversified business community, an expanding tourism sector, major public transportation investments, and the emergence of a 24-hour neighborhood that has seen the number of housing units and residents more than double since 2000.

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Building entrance to the National September 11th Memorial Museum.

Never Forget: A Snapshot of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum

highlights the work of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to educate the public and support 9/11 families

Between 2018 to 2025, the 9/11 Memorial welcomed 57 million visitors and the museum hosted more than 16 million visitors. In 2025 alone, the Memorial welcomed 11.3 million visitors and the Museum saw 2.4 million visitors. Visitation to the Museum has been steady in recent years, although still lagging pre-pandemic levels of more than 3.1 million in 2019. Memorial attendance, however, now exceeds pre-pandemic levels.

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Review of the Financial Plan of the City of New York

Budget Better Reflects Actual Costs, but Future Gaps Could Worsen

New York City’s $127.8 billion fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget, inclusive of prepayments of certain expenses, is nearly $5.9 billion more than projected at the same point last year, a significant increase that includes addressing known costs that were left out of previous financial plans. While the city was able to achieve budgetary balance in FY 2027, it shows a structural imbalance that could worsen if sustainable solutions are not found.

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Business Costs in New York City: Historical Data and City Comparisons

REPORT SHOWS HOW NYC’S BUSINESS COSTS COMPARE TO OTHER MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS

New York City remains one of the nation’s most expensive places to start or operate a business, but several major business expenses have grown at a slower rate than in competing metropolitan areas over the past decade.

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The Hotel Industry in New York City

Demand for NYC Hotels Leads U.S., but International Visitors Still Lagging

New York City’s hotel industry is one of the nation’s strongest, with high demand for rooms led by a surge in domestic visitors, but it remains vulnerable to changes in tourism and the continued loss of international travelers due to geopolitical instability.

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New York City Government Services

Reports Analyze City Services, Spending, and Performance Outcomes

New York City provides a wide array of services to residents. Managing the City’s budget requires that it assess whether services are provided to those in need and in a cost-efficient manner. These reports use City budget and performance data to analyze where services are reaching City targets, where improvements can be made and where more data is necessary to understand the provision of these services.   

Department of Buildings

Older Adult Case Management and Home Care

Services for the Unsheltered

Child Care Services for Children Under Five

Fleet Management

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Review of the Financial Plan of the City of New York

Budget Balanced, But Risks Threaten Long-Term Fiscal Stability

The $124.7 billion fiscal year 2027 budget released in May continued the City’s recent efforts to lay bare the substantial spending challenges it faces while identifying some recurring solutions to managing these challenges.

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Annual Update: Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Debt Profile

Highlights Progress on Capital Investments and Debt Management

Despite ongoing federal uncertainties, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has taken strides in advancing both its 2020-2024 and 2025-2029 capital programs. As of April 2026, the Authority has committed more than $38 billion from its $55.4 billion 2020-2024 program, reflecting both more financing certainty and accelerated project activity.

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MTA Weekend Ridership Trends

Weekend Ridership Recovery Outpaces Weekdays Across the Board

Weekend ridership recovery across Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) services has risen faster than weekdays since the pandemic ended, with average ridership near 2019 levels and even exceeding it at times. The recovery gap between weekends and weekdays has accelerated in recent years, suggesting the MTA continue to adjust service in response.

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Review of the Financial Plan of the City of New York

NYC Budget Increases Transparency, Reveals Structural Gaps

New York City’s $127 billion fiscal year 2027 preliminary budget (February Plan) provides more transparency for spending, addressing years of chronic underbudgeting and exposing an emerging structural budget gap that may require choices that threaten the city’s fiscal stability, competitiveness and affordability.

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New York City’s Uneven Recovery: An Update on Labor Force Trends

Economic and Policy Insights

The December unemployment rate in New York City remained higher than pre-pandemic levels for several demographic groups, particularly for youths and Blacks. This report also finds that non-college-educated unemployment is closer to pre-pandemic levels than college-educated unemployment, a major shift from earlier in the decade.

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Subway Recovery Tracker

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Subway Ridership in New York City

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound and disparate impact on subway ridership in New York City. Initially, the emergence of the virus in March and April 2020 corresponded with a steep and uniform drop in subway usage across all five boroughs. Citywide, April 2020 ridership was just 8.3 percent of what it was in April 2019, and through the summer of 2024 ridership has yet to regularly surpass 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

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Agency Services Monitoring Tool

MONTHLY UPDATES TRACK PERFORMANCE, STAFFING AND SPENDING

The Office of the New York State Comptroller developed a tool that displays performance indicators, staffing levels and spending commitments assigned to a City service since January 2020. While there are many factors that affect service demand and provision, the tool can provide some insight on existing operational or budgetary phenomena or the emergence of potential risks to the City’s budget and the provision of certain services.

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New York City Industry Sector Dashboards

MONTHLY UPDATES TRACK THE CITY’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY

The COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City particularly hard, causing massive job losses at major employers such as restaurants, hotels and retail stores. These dashboards follow a series of reports released over the past two years tracking economic data and the effect of the pandemic on these critical sectors and will help identify areas of weakness as well as positive developments.

Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Sector

Construction Sector

Office Sector

Restaurant Sector

Retail Sector

Securities Sector

Subway Recovery Tracker

Tourism Sector

Transportation and Warehousing Sector

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Federal Funding to New York City

CUTS IN FEDERAL AID POSE RISKS TO CITY BUDGET

New York City’s proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 operating budget relies on $7.4 billion in federal government funding, accounting for 6.4% of total spending. Recent federal government actions to cut grant programs could jeopardize at least $535 million of federal aid in FY 2025 and FY 2026, but nearly all federal operating aid that flows to the City could be subject to cuts or elimination.

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