Despite the robust growth of state revenues in recent years, many of New York's elected officials are pushing to further increase the tax burden on the state's residents and businesses. Read More
Research
Zohran Mamdani's stunning election as mayor of New York City marks a watershed moment for the Empire State. As a self-described democratic socialist and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani rode a wave Read More
New York State added just 1,008 new residents last year as its post-pandemic recovery ground to a near standstill, newly released Census Bureau estimates show. The population i Read More
Governor Hochul is hingeing a big chunk of her budget – and the state's health-care system – on a politically fraught gambit: asking the Trump administration to help cover immigrants. Read More
January 2026 Summary and Insights Electricity. In October 2025, average residential electricity price in New York was 26.95 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and ranked 8th highest in the U.S., exceeding the national Read More
For a third time the state Health Department has postponed releasing records related to a disputed $1 billion Medicaid contract, saying it needs another six weeks or more to locate and redact the materials in question. Read More
In the effort to improve transparency and accountability of New York’s education system, the Empire Center ha Read More
Ninety employees from New York’s school districts (outside New York City) received more than $300,000 during fiscal year 2025, according to , the Empire Center’s transparency website. The public educator pay data are based on salary informatio Read More
This fall, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law bills containing the state’s permission for three cities — Mount Vernon, Schenectady and White Plains — to test camera enforcement for school speed zones. Read More
Governor Kathy Hochul made news this fall when she used her legislative veto power in a way that looked personal. That’s how Albany watchers and the target, Senator James Skoufis, Read More
State officials met with the ultimate winner of a $1 billion Medicaid contract two weeks before the Legislature authorized bidding on the job as part of the state's 2024-25 budget, an email obtained by the Empire Cente Read More
Most parts of New York remain less populated in 2024 than they were in 2020 as the state struggled to recover from Covid-19, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data. Thi Read More