New report from the Marist Bureau of Economic Research shows commuting has a major impact on the region.
 

December 9, 2019 NY—More than 43 percent of working Hudson Valley residents are heading south to New York City for employment, says a new report from the Marist Bureau for Economic Research at Marist College.

The report, “Commutation Trends in the Hudson Valley 2015-2017,” provides county-level detail for Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester.

Manhattan is still a magnet for Hudson Valley workers despite ongoing, robust efforts at job creation. “Much has been done across the region to attract and retain business,” said Christy Huebner-Caridi, Director of the Bureau and Assistant Professor of Economics. “If anything, there is a dis-joint between the jobs available in the region and skill set of employees in the region.” Another key factor is the steady influx of Hudson Valley residents coming from New York City: People are moving into the region but keeping their New York City jobs—and income.

“The data paint a picture of the complex, full-spectrum of employment,” said Caridi. “On the one hand, we saw an increase in the number of residents who hold more than one job, which speaks to people cobbling together several part-time jobs in an effort to create the wages of a full-time job. Then in Westchester County, we’re seeing a majority of residents commuting into the city for higher salaries.”

Key findings include:

       – Ulster County residents are the most dependent on intra-regional employment at 74.1 percent.
       – Westchester County resident are the least depend upon employment in the region at just 48.57 percent working
           in the Hudson Valley.
       – The largest demographic holding more than one job was aged 30-55. This is significant because individuals
          engaged in part-time jobs rarely have access to benefit packages (health insurance, paid time off, etc).
       – The number of people ages 55 to 69 in the workforce increased by 10,948 between 2015-2017, while the
          number of people 30 to 54 declined by 12,974. This is an established  trend which speaks to a  potential
          decline in the workforce, which will impact new household creation with all the attendant impacts on local
          service-oriented businesses.

The full report can be found here: /management/bureau-of-economic-research.