EssentialNYC
The backbone of our Urban Ecosystem
Executive Summary
A thriving industrial economy is essential to the every-day experiences of New Yorkers. The industry needs a city leader to reset the working relationship with businesses who provide essential city functions.
From Broadway and e-commerce to affordable housing, food, and high-demand medical equipment, the businesses that comprise the industrial sector keep us healthy, housed, clothed, fed, and entertained. They are vital to the functioning of the city’s job market, our resiliency, and our future as an innovation hub.
Why you should care
The 'behind the scenes’ nature of industrial businesses leave us vulnerable to policies that undermine the infrastructure, operations, and future of this vital segment of our economy.
In your role, you have the power to support the 500,000 workers in our industry and ensure that we can have the city’s back when the next crisis hits, all the while providing the jobs and innovation needed to keep the city running.
Need further proof that manufacturing and industrial businesses are essential to the future of NYC? See how we play a role to reduce the impact of climate change and how, with your support, we can make NYC greener for generations to come.
Click on the highlighted elements in the cityscape to learn more.
Subway Maintenance
Did You Know?
The subway and bus mass transit systems are the main reason that NYC’s per capita energy consumption is less than a fourth of the rest of America’s. The subway alone prevents 5.5 million trips a day from being taken by gas-guzzling cars–over 1.7 billion car trips not taken every year.
Why it matters?
Keeping mass transit moving into the next century requires hundreds of industrial businesses, from floor panel manufacturers to communications systems maintainers to bus mechanics, smart mirror technologies manufacturers, and electrical contractors and track welders.
Local Food Production
Did You Know?
About a quarter of greenhouse gases are generated by the food system. By increasing the amount of food manufactured or grown in NYC, we can reduce greenhouse gases. It also creates opportunities for deeper waste diversion or repurposing of organic byproducts to new food products.
Why it matters?
Reducing food waste (Americans waste on average 20% of the food they buy) is a critical way to reduce a person’s environmental footprint. By buying more locally supplied or grown food products we can further reduce the environmental impact and divert more waste out of the landfill.
Distillery and Brewery Innovation
Did You Know?
There are manufacturing companies today in NYC that are innovating to solve climate problems through leveraging their product design to capture carbon. The spillover effect of innovation and its application to other problems is possible in this sector.
Why it matters?
Having space for production and R&D is essential to innovations to help save our city and our planet. Climate solutions like carbon capture, waste diversion, green product manufacturing, and renewable energy can only occur when a portion of our city is dedicated to industrial uses.
Turning Food Waste into Fertilizer
Did You Know?
In New York City, 20% of our waste stream is organic material. When we send our food to landfills, it creates the greenhouse gas methane. Composting presents an opportunity to turn our food waste into fertilizer for our community and commercial gardens and farms!
Why it matters?
Currently your plant based food scraps can be turned into fertilizer. Across NYC businesses are providing community jobs, hauling food scraps via bike, and have created over 427,000 lbs of compost available for purchase and reuse across NYC. These operations are possible with M-zoned land.
Sidewalk Rain Gardens
Did You Know?
Rather than draining into overflowing sewers and polluting rivers, rain gardens allow stormwater to be absorbed into soil and returned into the groundwater beneath–preventing flooding. Rain gardens beautify the streetscape and, if they have trees, help reduce hot temperatures.
Why it matters?
Rain gardens or “bioswales” are an important part of the city’s climate resiliency strategy, and depend on cement manufacturers, concrete installers, industrial landscapers, wholesale nurseries, and plumbing systems experts to install and maintain.
Electrifying the City’s Medium-Heavy Duty Fleets
Did You Know?
The transportation sector represents 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in the city. Transportation is essential to the movement of goods and people across our city. Advances in technology along with NYC programs, are making the shift from diesel fuels to electric trucks and buses a reality.
Why it matters?
To meet a full electrification of city fleets by 2040, and support the private sector transition an array of job opportunities await New Yorkers. Technicians will be required for the installation and maintenance of EV charging infrastructure, clean truck technicians, and CDL drivers.
Porous Sidewalks
Did You Know?
Diverting rainwater out of sewers and rivers is possible when permeable pavement is used instead of concrete. Porous materials allow rainwater to pass into the ground below. That helps prevent flooding during storms and traps solids and pollutants, keeping them from harming the water stream.
Why it matters?
Shifting to porous sidewalks supports the use of recycled glass, plastic, gravel, clay, or aggregate. It uses a spectrum of businesses: recycling firms to sort and source material, manufacturers to turn it into usable asphalt, and infrastructure service contractors to install and maintain it.
Last Mile Delivery
Did You Know?
More than 1.5 million packages are delivered daily in NYC, mostly by truck, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, and safety concerns. Cargo e-bikes offer a way to reduce CO2. Every 20 miles on an e-bike prevents 7 tons of CO2 a year or the equivalent to planting 100 trees.
Why it matters?
Cargo e-bikes offer a huge opportunity for the City’s economy. With only 350 cargo e-bikes now, we will need more companies to manufacture, service, and act as delivery contractors. Machinists, welders, mechanics, and delivery workers roles will be in high demand to meet this growth.
Recycling Construction and Demolition (C&D) Debris
Did You Know?
When you see a building or road being taken down or rehabilitated, that process results annually in about 33,000 tons of construction and demolition (C&D) debris a day. According to some NYC C&D operators about 95% of this debris can be kept from entering the landfill.
Why it matters?
Keeping C&D facilities local is critical to ensuring less trucks are on the road, more materials can be separated and less waste ends up in landfills. Operators today can enclose facilities, use technologies to increase the amount of recycling and minimize impact to surrounding areas.
Local and Sustainable Building Materials
Did You Know?
There are over 500 manufacturers in NYC that currently build components that could help LEED projects reach certification. They range from countertops, cabinets and HVAC systems.
Why it matters?
To build more sustainable buildings, products need to be made locally and use materials that do not harm the indoor air of the building or community. Businesses who have green product certifications and performed life cycle assessments need to be located in NYC to achieve our green goals.
Moving to Energy Efficiency Buildings
Did You Know?
In NYC, 68% of emissions come from buildings, making energy efficient improvements key for NYC’s green transition. Building owners will need to retrofit to comply with Local Law 97, which is estimated to create $20 billion in economic activity, 13 times more than the current market.
Why it matters?
Through energy efficient retrofits and Local Law 97, around 141,000 jobs will be created in NYC. HVAC installers, building operators and mechanics will be in high demand, as well as energy efficiency consultants and advisors. Without local industry our green transition won't be realized.
Moving to One Gigawatt of Solar Energy
Did You Know?
New York City has more than 100 megawatts of solar energy online, with a goal to hit one gigawatt by 2030. NYC building stock is ideal for solar panel installation and there are numerous programs and business incentives to make this a reality.
Why it matters?
Moving to a clean energy future with solar generation will require a strong workforce. There are already 10,200 solar related jobs across the city, with more opportunities on the horizon with the state’s investment of $5 million in incentives for residential projects.
Offshore Wind Power Generation
Did You Know?
By 2036, offshore wind will generate enough of our electricity to power 6 million homes by 2036, instead of using polluting oil and gas. NYC is leveraging this investment to ensure MWBEs and local businesses can access the over $70 billion expected to be created by the offshore wind industry.
Why it matters?
NY must rely on industrial businesses for this investment, millwrights, metal fabricators, electricians, mechanical engineers, wind turbine technicians, electrical power-line installers, and marine engineers and architects. Over 6,000 jobs are expected to be part of this supply chain.
Urban Vertical Farming
Did You Know?
Growing food in vertical layers produces vegetables efficiently in controlled environments, without using pesticides or harming ecosystems, and producing 10 times traditional yields. Vertical farms allow plant-based food to be grown locally so it doesn’t need to be trucked across the country.
Why it matters?
Vertical farms work best in high-ceiling industrial areas, and include a broad range of jobs, including lighting technicians, aquaculture systems managers, plumbing engineers, metal mount fabricators and installers, electricians, and farmers. They also catalyze new industries to create circular systems.
Green Roofs
Did You Know?
A typical green roof can capture 75% of the annual stormwater, double the lifespan of the roof, reduce energy/cooling costs and lower air temperatures. There are two kinds of green roofs, intensive (needs more maintenance) and extensive, which are lightweight and require less maintenance.
Why it matters?
Industrial roofs offer an opportunity to create natural sponges and a strong defense against heavy storm events. Industrial businesses will be an important partner to green our city, if incentives were modified, and real estate speculation is reduced.
Manufacturing is a word you’ve probably heard more since COVID-19 hit. But what do we mean to NYC? Here are some frequently asked questions we think can help you understand more about what we mean to our city.
What do industrial businesses do for NYC?
More than 500,000 New Yorkers work in industrial businesses. We manufactured ventilators and 3D printed and sewed PPE that kept New Yorkers alive and safe during COVID-19. We fabricate components for subways and buses. We produce and bring you food and beverages. We repair, drive, and deliver every product and component you use on a daily basis. We maintain streets, parks, and infrastructure. We distribute and install electricity systems to keep the lights on. We build and maintain housing. We install water and stormwater piping and recycle and compost your discards to ensure a sustainable future in New York.
But it’s just a few companies? Anytime I see an old warehouse it looks empty.
You’d be surprised that most of those empty-looking buildings hold over 40,000 businesses. While the average employer has less than 10 workers, most have been around 20+ years. The reason these buildings have few windows is on purpose, a design choice from WW2 where U.S. manufacturing facilities had to limit light exiting the buildings in order to keep German spy planes from observing the 24-7 factory operations.
I thought all manufacturing went overseas. Isn't it only "maker" types that are still here?
Nope. In fact, today we have over 5,000 manufacturing businesses still in the city, employing 52,000 people. While the largest number of manufacturers across New York City are in food and textile manufacturing, the city has a robust advanced manufacturing sector. There are over 350 metal fabrication manufacturing companies, over 100 chemical manufacturers, 970 garment manufacturers, over 1,000 food manufacturers, and close to 125 electronics manufacturers across the city. Almost three-quarters of our manufacturers are family-owned. Many of these companies are making products you might find in your building, subway, or the plane you fly today.
What’s the story with all these trucks?
E-commerce requires warehouses and logistics for products to arrive at your door! The transportation, warehousing, and wholesale trade sector is the largest of the industrial sectors, with over 19,000 companies and over 200,000 employees. This sector represents not only growth in traditional modes of logistics, but new opportunities in last-mile delivery which include e-bike deliveries.
Don't these businesses cause problems? Like pollution?
No doubt, the industrial sector, like others, has a way to go to be better partners with our environment. Like other industries, as we’ve learned about impacts, we’ve become regulated and modified our materials and processes. Now, many of us take waste and upcycle new products from it. We recognize that the future requires our industries to do our work differently.
Ok, the work is essential, but these jobs… aren't they dead-ends?
No! These jobs offer tremendous growth opportunities. Many individuals begin their journey in apprentice or similar entry-level roles. From there, they can advance into technical roles, ranging from running operational production or goods movement, monitoring production, to management as time goes on. Oftentimes, these companies are small and family owned, they prefer to promote from within. Other companies have roles that require technical skills, think accounting, marketing, office management, and, of course, engineering and technology management.
Isn’t the pay low?
With an average wage of $65,000—nearly $75,000 if you include benefits—industrial businesses pay more than two times the average wages of the retail and hospitality sectors. And these are jobs that don’t require formal college certification. You can just build transferable skills on-the-job while getting paid, rather than having to accrue debt through school.
Ok, but the industry isn’t very diverse is it?
Can’t deny that more needs to be done. NYC compared to the nation is doing better on diversity. New York City represents a significantly more diverse labor force, where 73% of Industrial workers are non-white, and in boroughs like Brooklyn 36% of the workforce is Black, and 34% are female. But this doesn’t account for the growth of our minority and women-led companies that have grown within the small manufacturing and maker community. For example, of the 1,500 members of Made in NYC, about 60% are minority and women-led.
What’s the future outlook? I thought these jobs were going away.
No! As many as 2.1 million manufacturing jobs will be unfilled through 2030, according to Deloitte. This could cost the U.S. economy $1 trillion. The nature of manufacturing is changing. Roles still require hands-on skills, but now also require digital and programming skills as functions shift to robotics and other computer controlled processes. Sectors like transportation and warehousing, the largest of the industrial sectors in the city, will grow by 19% in the next 10 years. Other sectors such as utilities, and waste management will have more modest growth of 13.2% and 10.3% respectively.
Wouldn’t the city be better off if we just focused on other industries?
We would lose more than we’d gain if we didn’t support a baseline of industrial businesses. The catalytic impact they have beyond the essential service they provide is a driver for our economy. For example, manufacturing businesses create jobs. For every manufacturing job, there are 7 indirect jobs created in the economy. Compare that to hospitality sectors, where for every 1 direct hospitality job, only 1.5 indirect jobs are created. This doesn’t even account for the critical role industrial businesses play in supporting the culture and diversity of NYC. Food and drink distribution support restaurants; set and costume fabrication support theater productions; raw materials supply chains support new housing development. Manufacturers impact the entire City ecosystem from tourism, to food, to innovation that we consider integral to NYC’s identify.
Can’t we green the city or do innovation without all these companies?
Innovation typically is a result of a problem or something spurring change, and industrial companies are gatekeepers that are leveraged during times of crises. The knowledge behind making complex and varied products, results in a diverse knowledge and infrastructure that is called upon during crises. During COVID-19, there were supply shortages, and many of our manufacturers were able to pivot their production lines to manufacture PPE. When we lose manufacturing, we lose the ability to quickly design, build, and deliver the products needed to innovate and supply the next emergency, whether global pandemics or climate crises.
The answer is "yes"!
Is the median wage higher than retail?
Is NYC one of the top hardware capitals in the world?
Does putting uses like gyms, bowling or residential in industrial areas hurt the industrial sector?
Is coffee roasted in NYC?
Is local-made wine/beer/booze considered manufacturing?
Does SNL's set get made in Brooklyn?
Do the majority of Broadway's outfits get manufactured in NYC?
Is 3D printing considered manufacturing?
Does greening my community by installing a green roof/bioswale/solar require an industrial business?
Can I find the Northeast’s first Class 8 regional-haul all electric truck in the Bronx?
Has a NYC manufacturer built parts for Mars Rover?
Has a NYC manufacturer built uniforms for USA Olympians?
Can I join this effort?
Now that you know who we are, we want to share a few ways you can support our essential industry and create a better NYC for everyone.
What you can influence
The NYC Mayor has a unique vantage point to shape the industrial sector's future and reset the working relationship with industrial businesses. The Mayor can determine our fate with land use decisions, key appointments, policy, and agency direction. There are many ways to impact our ability to hire, provide essential services, or offer innovative solutions to unforeseen crises. For us to remain the backbone of city functioning, we need the next Mayor to have our back.
Policies
Support land use policies, incentives, and programs that provide real estate stability and affordability, green transitions, and talent support for the Industrial Sector.
Appointments
Put industrial experts (such as manufacturers, freight/logistics, solar contractors) on City committees and commissions to ensure industry expertise is factored into influential decisions that impact the Industrial sectors’ viability in NYC and ability to continue to offer essential services.
Agencies
Ensure government processes factor in industrial operations to address conflicts, communication, and program impact, to reduce business’ operational friction and increase their ability to adopt technologies that reduce emissions and improve air quality.
Policies
Formalize Industrial Business Zone (IBZ) Policy
Create funding for Industrial properties to reduce their property emissions
Offer incentives for solar, green, or blue roofs
Increase accountability in the IBZ Special Permit process
Strengthen links between Industry and DOE
Strengthen Industrial businesses role in the Career & Technical Education Advisory Council
Increase Floor Area Ratio for Industrial usage
Appointments
Industrial expertise on the Board of the Industrial Development Agency
Industrial expertise on the Board of the NYC Economic Development Corporation
Industrial expertise on the City Planning Commission
Industrial expertise on the Board of Standards and Appeals
Industrial expertise on the Workforce Development Board
Appoint a Chief Industrial Officer, who heads a central Mayor's Office of Industrial Policy within City Hall, reporting to a Deputy Mayor
Agencies
Dept. of Transportation (DOT) develops new solutions for loading zones
Expand the DOT Clean Trucks Program
Interagency coordination (DOB, DOT, DEP, OMB, DCP, DOF, FDNY, DDC, DCAS) on business interactions
Direct communications about area-wide changes
Interagency coordination on contradictory rules (DOB, FDNY, DEP)
Interagency education on Industrial business practices (DOB, DOT, DEP, DCP, FDNY, DDC)
What is the needed change?
Legislate stronger protections for Industrial Business Zones, including a moratorium on rezoning industrial land and stronger restrictions on non-industrial uses in M zones.
Why is it important?
Industrial rezoning is the main source of business instability. Infiltration from non-industrial uses (self storage, hotels, residences, etc.) and a lack of certainty on future land use designation has led to a lack of availability of affordable industrial land. Over 4.2 million square feet of industrial space has been lost as a result of MX zoning since 1997. And current trends show the lack of industrial space is creating shortages for business growth. Use conflicts can disrupt industrial operations. Use conflicts can also inflate costs, since the tax valuation of an industrial property increases when a higher priced industrial or commercial use has been sited close by, and because the market can speculate that remaining industrial will soon be converted to Commercial or Residential. If prices get too high, it’s no longer possible for the industrial business to remain. As a result, when businesses need to expand, they wind up either leaving the city or shutting down.
What’s the needed change?
Grant and financial support to facilitate low-emission retrofits and compliance with Local Law 97.
Why is it important?
Many industrial businesses are part of the supply chain for green and resiliency technologies, and are excited to do their part to transition to a greener economy.
To ensure that the costs of complying with LL97's building emissions reduction requirements do not compound with broader tax burden and operational costs of doing business in New York City and force industrial businesses to shutter, Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Funding from the US Department of Energy should be made available to facilitate the upfront costs of industrial building upgrades.
What is the needed change?
Provide financial incentives and tax credits for building owners in M Zones to convert roofs to solar, green, or blue roofs.
Why is it important?
There is a large surface area on industrial real estate in New York where solar electricity generation, or green or blue roofs to support stormwater retention could benefit the entire city. But without a major redevelopment or renovation, it is difficult for industrial businesses in particular to undertake the costs of installing solar, green, or blue roofs—unlike commercial or residential buildings that can expand upward, there would be minimal opportunity for an industrial property owner to recuperate their investment.
A financial or tax incentive would be vital to specifically utilize industrial rooftop space for solar, green, or blue roofs.
What is the needed change?
Current IBZ special permit process does not require evaluation of the project with any industrial expert to ascertain if the project jeopardizes the industrial neighborhood the project is contained in.
Why is it important?
Industrial business cannot compete with self-storage developers. If the choice is between the lucrative profits of a self-storage project or the stable, good paying jobs of the manufacturing and industrial sector, the self-storage project is going to win every time. The effects of self-storage units on industrial real estate markets can be particularly harmful, as they are often used as low-cost investment vehicles. Self-storage facilities consume scarce land slated for industrial and manufacturing uses, create almost no jobs, and exacerbate the rising cost of industrial real estate. On average, they employ no more than 5 people.
What is the needed change?
Increase DOE relationships with industry partners through tours of industrial facilities, lunch and learns for school administrators on career pathways within the industrial sectors, piloting introductory industrial curriculum modules across select high schools / after-school programs, and increasing the number of work-based learning opportunities in the industrial sectors.
Why is it important?
Outside of select Career and Technical Education schools, NYC DOE high school students receive minimal exposure to the industrial sectors. Strengthening connections to industry will open up well-paying career and training opportunities for students and local hiring and expansion opportunities for local businesses.
What is the needed change?
Young people's environments often influence the direction of their lives. This includes the opinions of the adults, both parents and teachers. Ensuring that parents, teachers, and administrators understand the opportunities in the industrial sector is critical. Hosting roundtable events along with live and virtual tours of industrial facilities with meet and greets with industrial leadership can lead to changed perceptions among the adults who influence our youths career trajectory.
Why is it important?
Across NYC, students and adults are unaware of the career opportunities and work environments in the industrial sectors. Images of dirty, dark, and low technology facilities with low-wage jobs permeate mainstream perceptions.
What is the needed change?
Allow landlords in industrial buildings to build higher in order to increase supply of industrial space, facilitate business expansion, and upgrade old industrial facilities.
Why is it important?
Today most manufacturing zones are capped at a Floor Area Ratio of 1 or 2. Many businesses would like to stay and grow-in-place, rather than relocate to New Jersey or close down. But because they’re capped at their FAR of 1, they are effectively land-locked; they can't expand upward, and there is minimal industrial space in the city where they can affordably expand.
The lack of additional FAR is a main disincentive to industrial investment today—the costs for even upgrading an existing facility don't pan out if industrial property owners are unable to expand capacity upward. That is why most industrial businesses have not updated their building design or energy usage in decades, leaving them with old and subpar facilities.
What is the needed change?
Ensure industrial business experts are appointed to the board of the Industrial Development Agency, to ensure that industry experts can provide critical and real world feedback to projects.
Why is it important?
IDA projects provide city tax incentives and abatements, and other financial support. Board members should have an understanding of the challenges industrial businesses face in accessing this support, and work to improve them and make them more targeted.
What is the needed change?
Ensure industrial business experts are appointed to the board of the Economic Development Corporation.
Why is it important?
EDC has a wide role in managing industrial assets, improving industrial infrastructure, and supporting industrial business. EDC Board appointees should understand the needs of the industrial sector and the city’s supply chain.
What is the needed change?
Ensure industrial business experts are appointed to the City Planning Commission.
Why is it important?
CPC allows applicant developers to circumvent the city’s zoning code. The Mayor should appoint industrial advocates that understand the importance of retaining, protecting, and strengthening industrial land use.
What is the needed change?
Ensure industrial business experts are appointed to the Board of Standards and Appeals.
Why is it important?
BSA allows applicant developers to circumvent the city’s zoning code in particular cases. The Mayor should appoint industrial advocates that understand the importance of retaining, protecting, and strengthening industrial land use.
What is the needed change?
Ensure industrial business experts are appointed to the Workforce Development Board.
Why is it important?
The Workforce Development Board ensures that investments of federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) dollars in adult and youth workforce development services are effective and efficient. Board appointees should understand industrial hiring and employment needs and pathways.
What is the needed change?
Establish a City Hall position of "industrial czar" (e.g., "Chief Industrial Officer") who integrates industrial policy across agencies and is involved in critical supply chain stabilization for city operations and emergency management.
Why is it important?
A central City Hall officer, who reports directly to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for operational agencies and coordinates across city agencies, will ensure that discrepancies in city agency priorities are reconciled at the City Hall level, and that industrial businesses are able to supply city operations such as sanitation, transportation, environmental protection, and emergency management.
What is the needed change?
Engage with industry to come up with solutions to misuse of loading zones.
Why is it important?
There are currently an insufficient number of loading zones in prime delivery areas throughout the city. This leads to competition over the few that do exist, compelling vehicles to double park and creating congestion on city streets.
What is the needed change?
Expand eligibility of Clean Trucks and Make-Ready program grants to facilitate widespread adoption of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.
Why is it important?
Electrification of freight is a vital goal to improve air quality and reduce and carbon emissions. The CTP program currently targets only the oldest trucks, which are no longer as pervasive in New York. The program can help more fleets make the conversion if eligibility is expanded to include more trucks and fleets.
What is the needed change?
Ensure the NYC Business Dashboard integrates business interactions with and across all city agencies.
Why is it important?
The NYC Business Dashboard has been a way for businesses to access all of their permits from different agencies in one place. To reduce business frictions, all city agencies should be able to use the same Dashboard to see their sister agencies' interactions with a single business. A single point of contact between the City and a business will ensure that conflicting regulations, permits, inspections, compliance, contracts, and paperwork from different agencies are harmonized before business operations are disrupted.
What is the needed change?
Create a standard, transparent means of making changes to the built environment and communicating about them.
Why is it important?
New traffic flow measures, parcel or area-wide rezonings, and other changes to the city's physical streetscape infrastructure can disrupt business operations, particularly if there is no forewarning. More coherent, transparent, and reliable methods of receiving updates, information, and opportunities to share feedback about them would stabilize business operations and strategic planning.
What is the needed change?
Harmonize regulations and enforcement across DEP, FDNY, DOB, and others.
Why is it important?
Inspectors from differing regulatory agencies often provide direction that conflicts with another agency. The burden on the reconciliation between agencies lies with the business resulting in fractured implementation, delays and unnecessary costs.
What is the needed change?
Increase the understanding of Industrial business operations and standard practices, for city staff.
Why is it important?
Many industrial business educate inspectors on what their operations, equipment and other standard activities entail when they are visited for new permits or annual permit reviews. The lack of familiarity of the industrial operations impacts the speed of the inspection. Additionally, many agencies are unaware of the operational needs and challenges faced by industrial businesses when new policies, initiatives or city infrastructure work impact locations that industrial businesses reside in.
Our industry is vulnerable to decisions that don’t factor in the importance of a local presence. While we make up 16% of private sector employment and employ 500,000 New Yorkers—most of our businesses rent our space and have less than 10 employees, making our voices harder to hear.
How it impacts NYC
Industrial Businesses are the Second Largest Private Sector Employer in NYC
The industrial sectors, consisting of construction, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, wholesale trade, utilities, and waste management, employ 16% of the NYC workforce.
Source: 2018 QCEW Annual
Construction, Wholesale, Transportation and Warehouse, and Manufacturing make up the largest Sub-sectors by Number of Employees
In this city that is always building, selling, and buying, these sub-sectors play a critical role to the goods movement and regeneration of NYC.
Source: 2018 QCEW Annual
NYC Manufacturing Annual Wage pays more
Average annual manufacturing salaries pay nearly $20,000 more than retail, and nearly twice as much as food/beverage annual salaries.
Source: 2020 QCEW Annual, analysis by Industrial Jobs Coalition
The majority of NYC's Industrial Companies are small businesses
NYC industrial businesses are mostly small, with 90% of the businesses in every sub-sector employing less than 100 people. In construction, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, and waste management, over 50% of the businesses are micro, with less than 5 employees.
Source: 2018 CBP
Residents with Industrial jobs in each council district
With the exception of Manhattan, the majority of council districts have 12% or more residents working in Industrial jobs as a percent of the private sector jobs.
Source: Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Origin-Destination Employment Statistics Residence Area Characteristics (2018), analyzed by the Industrial Jobs Coalition
Most Industrial Businesses are Renters
The majority of NYC industrial businesses rent. This puts businesses at risk of displacement and limits their ability to invest in their space due to uncertainty of lease renewal
Source: 2014 NYCEDC Industrial Business Survey