Those who don’t know us say that New York City is a dog-eat-dog town. We may act like alpha dogs, but real New Yorkers are truly poodles at heart. In fact, the data show that one in seven households in our city have at least one pup under its roof [1]– so we must be softies deep down. Did you know that there are ruff-ly 425,000 canine companions in homes across the five boroughs

The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts that 219 million Americans (nearly 70% of the population)[1] will celebrate Independence Day this year.  The number of people who will celebrate is 2% higher than last year and the average amount they plan to spend on food items this holiday is up 3% to $73.42 per person.  In fact, the holiday is expected to generate $7.1 billion in revenue from food sales.

Current construction trends indicate a strong New York City economy.  In 2016, the number of construction project starts was the highest in four years.

The majority of starts were building projects: 4,066 non-residential[1] and 3,817 residential building projects were initiated in 2016.  Meanwhile, there were 514 construction starts unrelated to buildings, which included infrastructural...

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates on March 15, 2017 – only the third time since the height of the financial crisis. So, what does this mean for New York City’s economy? First, let’s explore how interest rates work.

Whenever an entity loans money, they will charge an interest rate that incorporates the time value of money that is lost when loaning out that sum of money (a dollar today is always preferable to a dollar in the future, so an interest rate is charged to make loaning money cost-effective). Therefore, as interest rates decline, more people borrow and spend...

New Yorkers love the holidays – it doesn’t take more than quick walk down any wintery block in Manhattan to figure that out.

Holiday music rings in every store, and “tree-lined street” fosters a whole new meaning as Christmas pines are sold on virtually every corner. And importantly, what we on the Economic Research & Analysis team call the holiday economy bustles with renewed fervor.

The holiday economy is comprised of a number of factors and this month we’re exploring how cultural and religious institutions throughout the City impact the local economic landscape.

Attendance at museums and historical...

Thanksgiving By the Numbers

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade draws 3.5 million enthusiastic visitors to Manhattan, as well as roughly 50 million television viewers. Festivities held over the long weekend have enticed thousands of tourists to visit New York City, boosting business for the city’s 50,000 hospitality workers and 300,000 food and beverage service employees. The economic benefits are clear: last November, retailers employed 360,000 New Yorkers for busy holiday shopping season that is kicks off on Black Friday.

Adding to the fun is Small Business Saturday which spurs business for the city’s roughly 207,600...

Candy and pumpkins energize the city that never sleeps.

This upcoming Halloween, 94 percent of Americans plan to purchase candy when polled by the National Retail Association. Applied to New York City’s population, this means that nearly 8 million people in the City will be flooding the closest Duane Reade and Trader Joe's for sweets. 

Still deciding on treats for Halloween night? According to the sales data from the online retailer Candy Store, the New York State candy favorite is Sour Patch Kids. From 2007-2015, New Yorkers have ordered 198,000 lbs. of Sour Patch Kids on average from the online store in the...

To celebrate National Manufacturing Day, the Economic Research and Analysis team at NYCEDC looked at trends in the manufacturing industry in New York City. We found that the sector is on the rise, employing over 78,000 workers in 2015, or 2.1% of the city’s private sector employees. Specifically, since 2011, employment in manufacturing has grown 3.3% in the City. The size of manufacturing establishments is also expanding, with the average New York manufacturer employee base growing +8.1% in the last year alone.

Economists at Moody’s are also predicting that manufacturing will contribute an increasing amount to Gross City Product (GCP) over the next several decades (see below figure),...

Take an in-depth look at each of the metrics by visiting our interactive Innovation Index at http://www.nycedc.com/economic-data/innovation-index

The Economic Research & Analysis (ERA) team at New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) updates their Innovation Index in order to quantify and monitor the status of innovation in New York City. NYCEDC is interested in innovation because it has long been at the forefront of economic analysis. While some economists argue that innovation is crucial for economic growth, others claim that it is only a natural by...

How do Americans celebrate Fourth of July? NYCEDC analyzed the Independence Day traditions of everyday Americans to answer this very question.

As expected, many Americans will attend outdoor parties, join in on barbecues, and spend the evening gazing at the fireworks. Thousands of spectators will also travel to Coney Island for Nathan’s annual hot dog eating contest.[1] This is no average year for the best-of-the-wurst Nathan’s: the iconic hot dog vendor is celebrating its 100th anniversary, totaling over 435 million sausages sold at its 40...