New Yorkers' household income rose nearly 68% over two decades, but inflation-adjusted purchasing power increased only 14.3%, according to Cornell's latest New York at Work report.
Researchers found the cost of living now dominates residents' concerns as pessimism about personal and statewide finances rises and trust in institutions declines.
The 2025-26 report brings together 17 studies and draws partly on two decades of Empire State Poll data. It also identifies wide disparities by race, disability and geography.
Among its findings, nearly 30% of working-age New Yorkers with disabilities lived in poverty in 2024. In Tompkins County, tens of thousands of workers earned less than a living wage, including 67% of Black workers, 58% of Latino workers and 48% of white workers.
The report also found federal grant and assistance spending in New York fell by nearly $7 billion from fiscal 2024 to 2025, while the state had reached 44% of its 2030 renewable-energy target and cut emissions 24%.
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