Office of the State Comptroller
Staten Island is the most suburban of New York City’s five boroughs. The housing market isdominated by single-family homes; parks andopen spaces are plentiful; and the crime rate islow. Over the past decade, the borough has madeimpressive population and employment gains.While the current recession has slowed job growthand has pushed up the unemployment rate, the rateremains relatively low. Quality of life issues—such as traffic congestion, overdevelopment, andhealth care—remain major concerns of StatenIsland residents and the focus of both public andprivate sector initiatives.
Employment
Between 2002 and 2008 (the latest year for whichcounty data are available), total employment inStaten Island rose by 6.1 percent, or more than5,300 jobs, to reach a record 93,590 jobs (seeFigure 1). Job growth was particularly strong in2007 but then slowed sharply in 2008.
2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 3 2 0 0 4 2 0 0 5 2 0 0 6 2 0 0 7 2 0 0 8
80859095
ThousandsofJobs
Sources: NYS Department of Labor; OSC analysis
Total Employment in Staten Island
Figure 1
More than 30 percent of Staten Island’s jobs arenow concentrated in the education and healthservices sector. The second-largest employmentsector is trade, transportation, and utilities, whichaccounts for nearly a quarter of the borough’s total jobs. Both these sectors added jobs in 2008,offsetting job losses in manufacturing,
An Economic Snapshot of Staten Island
Thomas P. DiNapoli
Kenneth B. Bleiwas
New York State Comptroller Deputy ComptrollerReport 8-2010 August 2009Highlights
•
Staten Island has gained jobs and increasedpopulation at impressive rates since 2000.
•
The unemployment rate (7.2 percent), whilerising in the recession, is still relatively low.
•
The per capita income of Staten Island’sresidents is higher than the other boroughs,with the exception of Manhattan.
•
Only 6.9 percent of Staten Island residentshave incomes below the poverty level—thelowest poverty rate in the City.
•
More than two-thirds of Staten Islandhouseholds own their own homes—twice thecitywide rate.
•
One out of every 356 housing units on StatenIsland was in foreclosure in the first quarterof 2009, the fourth-highest rate in New York.
•
Per capita crime levels have declined sharplyover the past 20 years.
•
The former Fresh Kills landfill is beingtransformed into a 2,200-acre park, includingthe possible construction of a wind farm.
•
The City Council recently adopted a zoningamendment to reduce traffic congestionaround shopping areas on Staten Island.
•
Construction has begun on the Staten IslandTerminal, which will reduce truck traffic andbe the largest deep-water cement andaggregate terminal in the State.
•
Visy Pulp & Paper, which was the largestmanufacturing investment in the City in 50years when it opened in 1996, is expanding.
•
The renovated New York Container Terminalhandles 425,000 containers annually.
•
The U.S. Coast Guard is currently solicitingpublic comment on its draft environmentalimpact statement for a proposal to replace theGoethals Bridge.
•
The Staten Island Economic DevelopmentCorporation is promoting the development of the West Shore Light Rail.
Leave a Comment