Reports

The number of domestic violence victims increased in 2022 by 8.5% in New York City and 8.7% in the rest of New York State when compared to 2019. With nearly 90,000 reported victims of domestic violence statewide in 2022, significant work remains to reduce the number of these destructive incidents and to ensure the availability of resources to assist victims.

State collections from all forms of gaming totaled $4.8 billion in State Fiscal Year 2022-2023. With the legalization of mobile sports betting, the New York State Gaming Commission noted a 26% increase in problem gambling-related calls to the Office of Addiction Services and Supports from 2021 to 2022. More attention should be devoted to understanding the implications of mobile sports betting, particularly on young New Yorkers.

Cyberattacks are a serious threat to America’s critical infrastructure and have the potential to severely impact our day-to-day lives. According to the FBI, cyberattack complaints in New York State increased 53% between 2016 and 2022, jumping from 16,426 incidents in 2016 to 25,112 in 2022. Estimated losses in New York from cyberattacks in 2022 totaled over $775 million, while losses nationwide totaled $10.3 billion.

This report examines comparative data for 10 rural counties in New York to identify challenges faced by these communities and others like them, as well as opportunities. Population, employment, housing and other trends were considered, and these findings can be used as a baseline from which future trends can be measured. The median age of people living in these 10 rural counties increased at nearly twice the rate of the State between 2011 and 2021 while simultaneously population numbers declined. In some areas, accessing employment, health care, food, educational opportunities and services can be difficult.

As required by Section 196 of the Navigation Law, the Comptroller prepares an annual report to the State Legislature and the Governor. The report includes: a description of the costs and damages paid by and recovered for the Fund; the monies spent pursuant to Section 186 (including amounts spent for oil spill prevention, training activities and equipment purchased), and the economic and environmental impacts on the State.

The Corporate Governance Program supports and facilitates the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in the Common Retirement Fund’s due diligence process, investment decisions, and performance monitoring program, and provides active stewardship of the Fund’s public equity holdings.

From 2010 through 2021, the percentage of New Yorkers without health insurance declined every year to 5.2% in 2021, well below the national average of 8.6%. Rates of uninsured New Yorkers are lower than the nation largely due to the State’s higher rates of enrollment in public health insurance programs, which provided coverage to 4 in 10 New Yorkers in 2021. As the State begins reprocessing eligibility determinations for public health insurance, continued transparency and reporting will be essential for understanding the implications for coverage rates and on the State’s budget.

New York State will have to take multiple steps to increase renewable electricity generation to achieve the objectives of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Success will also require State agencies to consistently and proactively identify and address problems, continue streamlining permit and interconnection study procedures, and develop the necessary infrastructure to connect renewable projects to the grid and New Yorkers' homes.

State tax receipts totaled $27.6 billion through the first quarter of State Fiscal Year 2023-24, $450.8 million higher than estimates released in the Division of the Budget’s Enacted Budget Financial Plan. However, collections were $6.8 billion lower than last year through the quarter ending in June 2022.

The Climate Action Plan Progress Report for the New York State Common Retirement Fund highlights the Fund’s recent efforts to address climate risks and opportunities.

New York will receive nearly $665 million as part of recent federal investments to improve broadband data, affordability, access and availability. New federal funds present an opportunity for the State to improve the availability of reliable, high-speed service to unserved and underserved areas, and the State must now craft a plan that is ambitious, actionable and accountable for meeting this objective.

The number of New Yorkers earning less than $20,000 with a broadband subscription rose from 64% to 76% between 2019 and 2021 as a result of two federal programs created to address disparities in access to high-speed internet. More than 1.3 million New York households are receiving affordable broadband subscriptions with federal support. In total, more than 90% of all New York households had access to broadband in 2021, up from 86% in 2019.

New York’s Paid Family Leave (PFL) provides paid time off for eligible employees for bonding with a newborn, or newly adopted or foster child or to care for a family member with a serious health condition. Payments under PFL rose steadily between 2018 and 2021 as the amount of allowable time off and weekly cash benefits increased. Almost eight million workers were covered under PFL, with $872 million paid on approximately 156,000 claims in 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to soaring unemployment rates for people with disabilities, and these rates have not declined as quickly in New York as they have nationally. This report highlights the continued need for solutions that facilitate increased employment for people with disabilities in New York.

The surge in federal spending in response to the COVID-19 pandemic significantly improved New York’s per capita ranking in the federal balance of payments from 49th in 2019 to 30th in Federal Fiscal Year 2021. For every dollar New York sent to the federal government in tax receipts, it received $1.51 back in federal spending, as compared to a national average of $1.70. This report is the seventh in a series by the Office of the State Comptroller that examines the flow of funds between the federal government and the states.

Interactive Map | Excel file with supporting data

The COVID-19 pandemic forced New York’s schools to take on the extraordinary challenge of quickly shifting to remote learning formats. Recent national data show student performance dropped significantly in 2022 from 2019, with New York experiencing even greater declines than the nation in fourth grade math and reading. School districts need to swiftly invest significant resources in helping students that are most in need to make up for learning loss, while pandemic relief funds for education are still available.

Approximately one in ten, or about 800,000, New York households experienced food insecurity from 2019 to 2021, and an increasing number say they face food insufficiency since summer 2021. This report is the second in the “New Yorkers in Need” series. It details recent trends in food insecurity, explains policy interventions by the federal and State governments, and demonstrates a clear need for a continuing commitment to reduce the incidence of food insecurity.

Last year the New York State Thruway Authority proposed a multi-year schedule of toll increases to begin in 2024. This report provides a summary of the Thruway Authority’s current and forecasted revenue and expenses, factors that have impacted its finances over the past several years, the toll increase proposal, and considerations to help guide the assessment of the proposal.

The Corporate Governance Program supports and facilitates the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in the Common Retirement Fund’s due diligence process, investment decisions, and performance monitoring program, and provides active stewardship of the Fund’s public equity holdings.

New York had the 13^th highest poverty rate among states in 2021, and has surpassed the national average since 2014. These rates have been persistently higher among some groups, including children; New Yorkers of color, and those with less than a high school education. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an expansion of the safety net by the federal government that effectively reduced poverty, and some parts of that should be continued. State government should also ensure resources are equitably targeted and a cross-agency focus is maintained to alleviate poverty in a sustained manner.