New York State Geography

Overview

New York State consists of 62 counties. Counties are the building blocks used to build progressively larger geographic areas for which labor market statistics are reported. These larger areas include Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) and Labor Market Regions (LMRs).

Each CBSA consists of a county or associated counties containing at least one urban area of 10,000 or more population, plus adjacent, outlying counties that have a high degree of social and economic integration with the core. An outlying county is included in the CBSA if at least 25 percent of its employed residents work in the central county (or counties) or if not less than 25 percent of the jobs in the outlying county are held by residents of the central county (or counties).

There are two types of CBSAs: Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and Micropolitan Statistical Areas. Each Metropolitan Statistical Area must have at least one urban area of 50,000 or more inhabitants. Each Micropolitan Statistical Area must have at least one urban area of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 inhabitants. New York State has fifteen Metropolitan Statistical Areas (including two Labor Market Areas) and fourteen Micropolitan Statistical Areas.

If the specified criteria are met, a Metropolitan Statistical Area containing a single core with a population of 2.5 million or more may be subdivided to form smaller groupings of counties referred to as "Metropolitan Divisions." New York State's portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area includes the Nassau-Suffolk Metropolitan Division as well as the New York City Labor Market Area and the Putnam-Rockland-Westchester Labor Market Area.

If two adjacent Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical Areas have a certain degree of employment interchange, for reporting purposes they may be combined into a single geographic entity know as a Combined Statistical Area (CSA). New York State has five CSAs entirely within its borders and a sixth (the New York-Newark-Bridgeport CSA) which includes portions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Labor Market Regions (LMR) correspond to ten geographic areas of the state, which are defined by the New York State Department of Labor, each of which is served by a Department of Labor regional analyst. These LMRs also correspond to the economic regions defined by the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC). For a list of New York State LMRs and their component counties, see below. In addition, see the Census Bureau's Guide to State and Local Census Geography.

 

Metropolitan Statistical Areas

  • Albany-Schenectady-Troy: Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Schoharie counties
  • Binghamton: Broome and Tioga counties
  • Buffalo-Niagara Falls: Erie and Niagara counties
  • Elmira: Chemung County
  • Glens Falls: Warren and Washington counties
  • Ithaca: Tompkins County
  • Kingston: Ulster County
  • New York City labor market area: Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, and Richmond counties
  • Orange-Rockland-Westchester labor market area: Orange, Rockland, and Westchester counties
  • Rochester: Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne, and Yates counties
  • Syracuse: Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties
  • Utica-Rome: Herkimer and Oneida counties
  • Watertown-Fort Drum: Jefferson County

 

Minor Counties (outside of Metropolitan Statistical Areas)

  • Allegany County
  • Cattaraugus County (also Olean Micropolitan Area)
  • Cayuga County (also Auburn Micropolitan Area)
  • Chautauqua County (also Jamestown-Dunkirk-Fredonia Micropolitan Area)
  • Chenango County
  • Clinton County (also Plattsburgh Micropolitan Area)
  • Columbia County (also Hudson Micropolitan Area)
  • Cortland County (also Cortland Micropolitan Area)
  • Delaware County
  • Essex County
  • Franklin County (also Malone Micropolitan Area)
  • Fulton County (also Gloversville Micropolitan Area)
  • Genesee County (also Batavia Micropolitan Area)
  • Greene County
  • Hamilton County
  • Lewis County
  • Montgomery County (also Amsterdam Micropolitan Area)
  • Otsego County (also Oneonta Micropolitan Area)
  • St. Lawrence County (also Ogdensburg-Massena Micropolitan Area)
  • Schuyler County
  • Seneca County (also Seneca Falls Micropolitan Area)
  • Steuben County (also Corning Micropolitan Area)
  • Sullivan County
  • Wyoming County

 

Metropolitan Divisions

  • Dutchess-Putnam Metropolitan Division: Dutchess and Putnam counties
  • Nassau-Suffolk Metropolitan Division: Nassau and Suffolk counties

 

Micropolitan Statistical Areas

  • Amsterdam, NY
  • Auburn, NY
  • Batavia, NY
  • Corning, NY
  • Cortland, NY
  • Gloversville, NY
  • Hudson, NY
  • Jamestown-Dunkirk-Fredonia, NY
  • Malone, NY
  • Ogdensburg-Massena, NY
  • Olean, NY
  • Oneonta, NY
  • Plattsburgh, NY
  • Seneca Falls, NY

 

Combined Statistical Areas

  • Albany-Schenectady: Albany-Schenectady-Troy and Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Amsterdam, Gloversville and Hudson Micropolitan Statistical Areas
  • Buffalo-Cheektowaga: Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area and Olean Micropolitan Statistical Area
  • Elmira-Corning: Elmira Metropolitan Statistical Area and Corning Micropolitan Statistical Area
  • Ithaca-Cortland: Ithaca Metropolitan Statistical Area and Cortland Micropolitan Statistical Area
  • Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls: Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area and Batavia and Seneca Falls Micropolitan Statistical Areas
  • Syracuse-Auburn: Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area and Auburn Micropolitan Statistical Area
     

Labor Market Regions

  • Capital Region: Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington counties
  • Central New York Region: Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego counties
  • Finger Lakes: Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties
  • Hudson Valley Region: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties
  • Long Island Region: Nassau and Suffolk Counties
  • Mohawk Valley Region: Fulton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, and Schoharie counties
  • New York City Region: Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, and Richmond counties (the five boroughs of New York City)
  • North Country region: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties
  • Southern Tier Region: Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins counties
  • Western New York Region: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara counties

 

Workforce Development Areas

  • Albany, Rensselaer, and Schenectady Counties
  • Broome and Tioga Counties
  • Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties
  • Cayuga and Cortland Counties
  • Chautauqua County
  • Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben Counties
  • Chenango, Delaware, and Otsego Counties
  • Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Hamilton Counties
  • Columbia and Greene Counties
  • Dutchess County
  • Erie County
  • Fulton, Montgomery, and Schoharie Counties
  • Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties (GLOW)
  • Hempstead, City of Long Beach
  • Herkimer, Madison, and Oneida Counties
  • Jefferson and Lewis Counties
  • Monroe County
  • New York City
  • Niagara County
  • Onondaga County
  • Ontario, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates Counties
  • Orange County
  • Oswego County
  • Oyster Bay, North Hempstead, and Glen Cove
  • Rockland County
  • Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties
  • St. Lawrence County
  • Suffolk County
  • Sullivan County
  • Tompkins County
  • Ulster County
  • Westchester and Putnam Counties
  • Yonkers

 

Balance of State

  • New York State excluding New York City (Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens and Richmond counties)