Report Shows an ‘Uneven’ Economic Recovery in New York

October 30th, 2018

A new report from the Empire Center looks at the state’s economic recovery since the national economic downturn in 2008 and 2009, and the news is not good.  The report finds that Upstate’s job performance is among the worst in the nation and that the economic gap between the Upstate and downstate regions is growing. While New York State as a whole has gained 1.1 million private sector jobs since 2010, the 12-county downstate region accounted for 88 percent of that increase.

This is not just a story about an “uneven” economic recovery – it’s a stark demonstration that the Upstate and downstate economies are dramatically different.

This reality is something that we need state lawmakers to understand, acknowledge and account for. High taxes and energy costs, red tape and onerous state mandates are holding the Upstate economy back.  Upstate New Yorkers don’t want handouts from Albany, we want state policies that will enable our businesses to succeed.