New Edition of New York State Statistical Yearbook Available Online and In Print

Rockefeller Institute’s popular annual offers wide variety of data on state’s condition

Albany, N.Y. — The Rockefeller Institute of Government has published the 34th edition of its popular New York State Statistical Yearbook, providing updated information on a vast array of state data and state agency contacts for news media, citizens, government officials and others.

The Yearbook provides more than 700 pages of tables, graphs and maps with data on the state’s people, economy, and government, as well as selected comparisons with other states. For example:

• In 29 upstate counties and Nassau County, more than 20 percent of residents were 60 or older in 2008. In Bronx, Orange and Tompkins counties, the figure was below 15 percent.
• There were 252,662 live births, 146,266 deaths, 120,554 induced abortions, and 17,818 spontaneoous fetal deaths reported in the state in 2007.
• New York ranked ninth among the states in a “New Economy Index,” as of 2008.
• Enrolled Democratic voters outnumbered Republicans by nearly 2-1 statewide in 2009, although 37 of the state’s 62 counties had more Republican voters than Democrats.
• Among 44,219 drug-related felony arrests processed in 2008, convictions resulted in 32,047 instances, while 8,986 cases were dismissed and 115 individuals were acquitted.
• New York State issued 575,179 hunting licenses in 2008; 27 hunting accidents were reported that year, four of them fatal.

The Yearbook offers an array of data to understand the economic and social environment in which state government operates, Institute Deputy Director Robert B. Ward writes in the book’s introduction.

“Leaders in New York and elsewhere are increasingly using statistics such as those in this book to assess their challenges and performance in areas such as the economy, education, health, transportation, public protection, and environmental conservation,” writes Ward, the author of New York State Government.

Similar to the Statistical Abstract of the United States, the Yearbook is organized into chapters focusing on specific topics or governmental functions. Where possible, tables provide data for each of the state’s 62 counties, including the five boroughs of New York City.

New tables in this year’s edition include:

• Rankings of New York and other states regarding performance in the “New Economy,” as identified by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation;
• Numbers of cases of worker injuries related to the World Trade Center rescue and cleanup efforts, as tracked by the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board; and
• Average value per acre of farm real estate as calculated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The book is published in cooperation with the Office of the Governor and the Division of the Budget. It can be accessed online, or a hard copy can be ordered, by visiting the Institute Web site.