Reports

The Office of the State Comptroller has created this tool to document State and City emergency spending related to people seeking asylum. The data will be updated monthly and are available for download.

Economic indicators show New York City’s economy is recovering from the depths of the pandemic, with the City accounting for three-fifths of the State’s total wages and its sales tax collections rising to 43% of total statewide collections, nearing pre-pandemic levels. This reference document includes major demographic, economic and fiscal indicators that highlight New York City’s contribution to the State. The economic recovery of New York State is ultimately reliant on the continued return of population and business activity in New York City.

Local government sales tax collections in New York State totaled $5.9 billion in the third calendar quarter of 2023 (July - September), an increase of 3.6%, or more than $205 million, compared to the same period last year.

Regional Table [.xlsx]

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.

Wall Street’s 2023 first half profits of $13 billion were down 4.3% from the same period last year but tracked the industry’s return to pre-pandemic levels of revenue after record profits in 2020 and 2021. Financial firms’ interest expenses were seven times higher in 2022 than in 2021. Data for 2022 will likely show a decline in the industry’s economic contribution, back to pre-pandemic levels (14.5% in NYC in 2019), reflecting the drop in firms’ profitability.

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.

In a turnaround from the fiscal crisis it faced a year ago, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today stands on firmer financial ground, largely because the State budget provided dedicated sources of revenue to close projected budget gaps. With this improved financial picture, the burden is now on the MTA to improve the region’s transit system and win riders back, while keeping its budget balanced.

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.

Despite significant uncertainty caused by inflation and other factors, State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2022-23 reflected continuing recovery from COVID-19 and economic growth. 

The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the New York State and Local Retirement System (the System or NYSLRS) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023.

The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the State of New York for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023.

New York City is planning drastic steps to reduce City-funded spending by as much as 15% in response to substantial budget gaps fueled by escalating costs in the years ahead. This report urges the City to provide greater transparency on nondiscretionary costs that it does not have direct control over to help the public, policymakers and its funding partners understand what’s at stake.

This snapshot highlights the results for counties, cities, towns and villages that reported for local fiscal years ending (FYE) in 2022. Overall, the influx of federal pandemic relief aid, as well as robust sales tax revenues, were significant factors in lowering many municipalities’ fiscal stress scores in FYE 2022, especially for non-calendar year entities. Included in the report is an analysis of the 10 years of data collected since the launch of the system, focusing on what has been learned over the past decade. | Fiscal Stress Monitoring System 10 Year Statistics

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.

Local sales tax collections in New York State grew by 4% in August compared to the same month in 2022. Overall, local collections totaled $1.78 billion, up $67.9 million compared to the same time last year.

Regional Table [.xlsx]

State Fiscal Year 2022-23 was another productive year for the Office of Unclaimed Funds, returning $406 million to rightful owners.

New York City’s residential real estate market has proven resilient to the COVID-19 pandemic recession, with family homes in the outer boroughs seeing significant growth in value as people sought larger spaces amid limited supply. However, changes to tax bills do not necessarily follow market values due to assessment caps and phase-ins. The complexity of the City’s property tax structure led to significantly larger increases in tax bills for lower-valued properties during the pandemic.

The New York State Legislature amended the State Finance Law in 2015 by adding a new Section 8-c providing for the establishment of a statewide electronic system to help detect and prevent fraud, waste and abuse in government spending and to help avoid improper payment of public funds.