The Empire State

The Basics 

Total Population: 19-20 million (4th most populous state -- behind California, Texas, and Florida)

Notable Cities

New York City

Population: 8.8 million 

Languages Spoken: 800 (primarily English, Spanish, and Chinese)

Party Affiliations: Democrats 50.6%, Republicans 21.92%, Undeclared 21.76%, Other 5.7%

Buffalo 

Population: 278,349

Located at the Head of the Niagara River -- home to Niagara Falls 

Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area Population: 1.1 million

Demographics: White 41.9%, African-American 36.9%, Hispanic 12.8%, Asian American 7.6%

Ithica

Home to the Ivy League College, Cornell University 

Birthplace of Professor Golemboski 

Rochester 

Hometown to Susan B. Anthony -- Women's Right Activists 

Also served as a hub for many prominent abolitions 

Demographics (more statistics here)

Religions: Christians 70%, Judaism 9%, Islamic 6%, Buddhist 1%, No set religions ideologies 17%

Average Age: 38 years old

Gender: Male 51.5%, Female 48.5%

Race: White 63.66%, Black 15.66%, Other 8.66%, Asian 8.42%, Two or More 3.15%, Native American 3.15%, Pacific Islander .05%

Income: Household - $68,486, Per Capita - $39,326

Persons in Poverty - 12.7%

Rural New Yorkers: While rural New York makes up more than 86.6 percent of the state's land area, only about 18 percent of the population lives in rural areas -- some 3.5 million of the 20 million New Yorkers total.

Major Industries

New York state has the third-largest economy in the United States with a GDP of $1.7 trillion, behind only Texas and California. In fact, New York's economy is so large it would rank as the 12th largest economy in the world if it were its own country. New York City is the single largest regional urban economy in the country and is a leading hub for banking, finance, communication, manufacturing, healthcare, education, and technology. 

Financial Services

The first thing that likely comes to mind when thinking of New York's financial sector is Wall Street -- specifically the New York Stock Exchange, which is likely the most influential securities exchange in the world. While this sector does not lead the state in terms of employment, it does lead the state by its generated GDP of $429 billion annually. 

Healthcare

The New York Department of Labor indicated there are more employees in the Education and Health Services than any other industry in New York. Together, the educational services, healthcare industry, and social assistance industry contribute $135 billion to the state's GDP.

Educational Services 

Although not typically though of as a leading industry, the educational sector in New York has a substantial impact on the state by attracting new talent that eventually enters the New York business scene. New York has seen a large increase in college attendees, young and old, and an increasing number of new employees in other sectors were educated in the state. 

Manufacturing

New York exports a wide variety of manufactured goods to other states and foreign countries. Specifically, New York is a leader in railroad rolling stocks -- since many of the earliest railroads were financed and founded in New York; garments, as New York City is the fashion capital of the U.S.; elevator parts, glass, and various other products. While many cheaper and lower-paying manufacturing jobs have been relocated overseas, New York has responded by expanding their technical manufacturing. This includes computer products, mobile devices, video games, etc. 

A Deeply Blue State

For updated and comprehensive voting results click here.

As shown above, New York is a deeply blue state. In 2020, 60.9% of votes were cast for Biden and 37.8% were cast. This reliably Democratic voting can be seen at all levels of government throughout New York. Currently, both the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are Democrats, the State Legislature is Democratic by a ratio of 105 seats to 43 Republican seats, both Senators are Democrats, and 19 or the 27 House delegates are Democrats. 

Economic Concerns 

While the national economy is slowly recovering post-pandemic, New York is lagging behind. New York City suffered more job losses than any other city in America. Currently, it has a deficit of more than half a million jobs. New York City suffered an 11.8 percent decline in jobs from February 2020 to April 2021 -- nearly three times the national average.