Reports

Young workers in New York City between the ages of 16-24 continued to face a high 13.2% unemployment rate in 2024, which was 3.6 points higher than in 2019 and higher than all other age groups. Potential federal funding cuts to education and workforce development grants, as well as a looming economic recession, may weaken job prospects for young people.

Of the total contracts reported by State agencies in 2024, 78 percent were processed after their start or renewal dates, an increase from 56 percent in 2023.

The New York State Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Asset Management and Financial Institution Strategy (Chapter 171, Laws of 2010) was enacted to codify and replicate best practices for providing MWBEs that are asset managers, investment banks and financial and professional service providers with the opportunity to offer services to fiduciary-controlled entities established by New York State law.

For State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024-25, agencies paid vendors $4,258,793 in interest primarily due to delays in encumbrance processing, agency backlog or agency processing delays.

New York State has appropriated $1.71 billion through State Fiscal year (SFY) 2025 to help counties implement the provisions of the “Raise the Age” (RTA) law enacted in 2017, with $658.8 million disbursed through SFY 2025. As counties continue implementing RTA through programming and staffing, State spending may continue to increase.

Budget resolutions under consideration by the 119th Congress could lead to a dramatic restructuring of the federal⁠⁠-⁠⁠state⁠ ⁠relationship. This online resource details the vast array of services that federal funding supports amid the continued uncertainty in Washington over potential cuts for states, including funds for Medicaid and other health programs, education, social welfare, transportation, public protection and other vital programs.  

Non-emergency 311 calls in New York City climbed to over 3.4 million in 2024, up 7% from 2023. To increase transparency and help the city respond to growing quality of life complaints, the Office of the New York State Comptroller released a report highlighting trends in service requests over the past five years, and an interactive NYC311 Monitoring Tool to let people see requests in their neighborhood and help identify where resources may be needed.

Local government sales tax collections totaled $5.8 billion in the first quarter (January-March) of 2025, an increase of 3.2% ($180 million) compared to the same quarter last year. Each of the 10 regions in the state, including New York City, had a year-over-year increase in collections. This marked the second straight year that first quarter growth was below the pre-pandemic average of 3.5%.| Regional Table [xlsx]

Food prices in the New York City metropolitan area have risen 25.2% since 2019 and low-income households are paying substantially more toward food than before the pandemic. While food costs are affected by many factors, recent increases have been fueled by supply chain disruptions created by disruptive public health, severe weather and geopolitical events, which may continue in the near term.

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.

For the fourth year in a row, federal pandemic relief funds resulted in New York having a positive balance of payments with Washington. For every tax dollar New York paid to Washington in Federal Fiscal Year 2023, the State received $1.06 in return; the national average was $1.32. New York’s balance of payments was $912 per capita, ranking New York 42nd among states. This report is the ninth 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 Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) included over 100 provisions amending the federal taxation of individuals and businesses beginning in tax year 2018. Should the provisions of the TCJA sunset with no additional changes made to the federal tax code, there would be little impact on New York State tax collections due to the decoupling that occurred in State Fiscal Year 2018-19. Whatever the outcome relating to the extension of the TCJA as well the inclusion of any new proposals, New York taxpayers will be impacted.

The average bonus paid to employees in New York City’s securities industry for 2024 reached $244,700, up 31.5% from last year. The bonus pool for the city’s securities employees reached a record $47.5 billion, its first major increase since the COVID-19 pandemic highs. Wall Street’s profits rose 90% in 2024.

Women in New York working full time earned 87.3 cents on the dollar compared to men in 2023, meaning they would have to work an extra 53 days into 2024 to make what New York men made at the close of 2023. The gender pay gap in New York is smaller than the national average of 81 cents on the dollar in 2023.

New York City’s efforts to address its housing shortage have led to a growth in supply that outpaced that of the State, but a drop in permits suggests slower growth may be on the horizon. The City gained 307,000 housing units from 2010 through 2023, an increase of 9%, bringing the total to over 3.7 million. Brooklyn gained the most over that time, with 11.4% growth to reach 1.1 million units or 30% of housing citywide.

This report details New York’s financial impact from the energy and environmental portions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including close to $2 billion in funds that could help lower costs during New York’s transition to clean energy. IRA programs represent a significant source of funding as the State pursues policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve resiliency. There is now significant uncertainty about whether this funding will continue after a new executive order issued by President Trump.

The New York portion of the New York City Metropolitan Area accounted for more than $103 billion, or 69% of the value of goods imported to New York State in 2023, and Europe provided the largest share of goods to the area. This report aims to help New Yorkers understand the potential effects of federal trade policy choices on their businesses and households.

New York City increased its expectations for its surplus in fiscal year (FY) 2025 to $2.34 billion, largely as a result of stronger tax revenue projections and a reduction in the cost of providing services to asylum seekers, which will help balance its $116.9 billion FY 2026 budget. With escalating uncertainty in the federal funding environment — which could lead the State to make choices to balance its budget that pressure local government finances — preparation and transparency remain paramount to navigate the future.

This report examines the ways that funding received by local governments – from federal stimulus programs – as well as volatile annual state and local revenue sources – can impact local budgeting. The temporary nature of the federal stimulus funds in combination with state aid that has not kept pace with inflation, sales tax growth that has returned to lower pre-pandemic levels, and flat property tax revenue growth can put local governments closer to the edge of the fiscal cliff if not carefully managed.

This assessment of the proposed Executive Budget identifies risks and concerns that underscore the importance of taking action to address the trajectory of State spending and improve the State’s structural imbalance, while continuing to bolster the State’s rainy day reserves. After several years of benefitting from extraordinary pandemic relief funding, the federal-state relationship may be changing in ways that could result in cuts to key State programs, especially in health and social services. The need to strengthen the State’s fiscal position has never been greater.