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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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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Long Island Rail Road: On-Time Performance by the Numbers (2023)
RIDERSHIP IS RECOVERING BUT SERVICE IMPROVEMENT MUST REMAIN A PRIORITY
As the largest commuter railroad in the nation, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is making a steady recovery from the pandemic with growing ridership, increased service routes into the Grand Central Madison terminal and on-time performance in 2023 that was better than in 2019. Still, the LIRR had 31% more delays from train car problems last year than in 2019, showing there are still areas that can improve, such as increasing preventative maintenance of older train cars.
Business Growth in New York City During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Outer Borough Business Activity Led by Brooklyn
Small businesses with fewer than five employees grew over 10% in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Very small businesses were a key source of new economic activity during the first half of the pandemic in the city, as they accounted for more than 71% of all businesses citywide. This report details the growth in New York City’s small businesses, the industries that were most affected, and the areas, Brooklyn and the Bronx, that saw the highest increases.
Investment and Funding Choices Facing the MTA
Calls for Transparency as MTA Reprioritizes Work
With the loss of $15 billion in congestion pricing revenue, the MTA has to reprioritize its 2020-2024 Capital Program. This report identifies over $21 billion in projects that potentially relied on congestion pricing revenue and are under review and suggests the Authority prioritize keeping the system in a state of good repair.
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An Economic Snapshot of Staten Island's North Shore
Report Highlights Population and Business Gains
The North Shore, for many the gateway to Staten Island, has led the borough in population growth since 2010. The North Shore is located just north of the Staten Island Expressway and serves as an important freight and commuting hub. The area accounts for more than one third of the Staten Island population and its residents tend to be younger and more racially diverse than in other parts of the borough.
Review of the Financial Plan of the City of New York
BUDGET BALANCED WITH STRONG REVENUES AND COST SAVINGS
Higher-than-projected revenue and cost-saving initiatives have helped New York City’s fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget generate a projected year-end surplus of $3.9 billion that will be used to prepay expenses for the next fiscal year, helping the City balance its FY 2025 executive budget. Still, this report cautions that budget gaps are likely to be larger-than-anticipated by the City in the coming years, underlining the importance of adding to reserves now while revenues are strong and formalizing a policy for managing reserves in the future.
Tracking the Return: The Tourism Industry in New York City
Tourism Related Jobs and International Visitors Still Lag
New York City’s tourism sector is approaching a complete recovery as visitor spending and related tax revenue have surpassed pre-pandemic levels. The City now estimates it will exceed pre-pandemic levels and welcome a record 68 million visitors by 2025. The number of visitors had reached a previous record of 66.6 million in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic devastated this thriving industry, resulting in a 66.5% decline in visitors to 22.3 million in 2020.
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.
Identifying Fiscal Cliffs in New York City’s Financial Plan
DROP IN FUNDING COULD IMPACT SERVICES FOR RESIDENTS
New York City’s published financial plan includes funding for some recurring spending initiatives for only a limited period, creating additional risks to already identified budget gaps. The Office of the State Comptroller has created a tool to identify sources and uses of funds for City programs that are not fully funded during the remaining years of the City’s financial plan.
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