Even prior to the pandemic-induced recession beginning in 2020, upstate New York faced stagnating

economic performance and a declining labor force. This was despite Albany’s willingness to redistribute income from the much wealthier New York City metropolitan area to upstate, expensive but mostly failed state investments in advanced manufacturing, and the excellence of upstate universities.

This report details the current state of the region’s metropolitan areas and the changes in job growth over two business cycles, compares upstate New York to Ohio and Pennsylvania (nearby states with similar manufacturing histories but lower tax burdens), discusses the reasons upstate is stagnant, and elaborates on upstate’s assets and opportunities to regain economic and civic vibrancy.