ALBANY — Nonprofits are “essential” in upstate New York regions such as the Mohawk Valley and the Southern Tier where nearly one in four private-sector jobs was at a nonprofit in 2017. In addition, wages paid by nonprofits were higher than other private-sector employers in five of New York’s 10 regions. That’s according to a […]
ALBANY — Nonprofits are “essential” in upstate New York regions such as the Mohawk Valley and the Southern Tier where nearly one in four private-sector jobs was at a nonprofit in 2017.
In addition, wages paid by nonprofits were higher than other private-sector employers in five of New York’s 10 regions. That’s according to a report that State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released July 23.
The report found that New York state led the nation in nonprofit employment with more than 1.4 million jobs and total wages of just over $78 billion in 2017. However, nonprofit job growth in the rest of the U.S. surpassed New York.
New York’s nonprofit organizations helped stabilize employment during and after the Great Recession, DiNapoli’s office contended in the report.
Other report findings
Nonprofit entities added more than 175,000 jobs in New York between 2007 and 2017, a gain of 14 percent. These organizations provided 17.8 percent of New York’s private-sector employment in 2017, compared to 10.2 percent nationwide, ranking third behind Vermont and Maine.
Nonprofit jobs grew faster than the rest of the private sector in most New York regions in the latter half of this decade.
“Nonprofits play an important role in every region of New York, delivering vital services to New Yorkers, from hospital care and education to legal services and environmental protection,” DiNapoli said. “They also have a measurable impact on our economy, providing one in every six private-sector jobs statewide.”
Wages at nonprofits have also grown at a faster pace statewide than the rest of the private sector and the public sector in the period that the reports covers. The annual average wage was $55,572 per employee, ranking New York eighth in the nation on that measure in 2017. Nonprofit wages varied widely, with educational services having the highest average annual wage at just over $65,000. Social-assistance industries, including home-care aides and child-care workers, had the lowest, at just over $30,500.
Health care — the largest nonprofit industry — along with education and social assistance, represented more than 81 percent of all nonprofit jobs in New York state in 2017. Other industries with large employment numbers include professional services, arts and entertainment, as well as religious, civic, and social-advocacy organizations.