Reports

See Audits to search for audits related to State agencies, NYC agencies, local governments, school districts and public authorities.

Budget & Finances

March 2023 —

The Executive Budget proposes $227 billion in All Funds spending in SFY 2023-24, an increase of 2.5% from the prior year. The State faces prolonged inflation, rising federal interest rates and the end of federal relief aid that was instrumental in balancing the past two budgets. As a result, the Division of the Budget projects shortfalls in revenues and increases in spending.

Economy, Health & Welfare

March 2023 —

Approximately one in ten, or about 800,000, New York households experienced food insecurity from 2019 to 2021, and an increasing number say they face food insufficiency since summer 2021. This report is the second in the “New Yorkers in Need” series. It details recent trends in food insecurity, explains policy interventions by the federal and State governments, and demonstrates a clear need for a continuing commitment to reduce the incidence of food insecurity.

Education

February 2023 —

In SFY 2021-22 (April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022), OSC completed 10 audits of preschool special education providers' expenses submitted to SED. These audits cumulatively identified $3.8 million in recommended disallowances, or more than 4 percent of the total claimed expenses of $92.8 million for the audit period.

Budget & Finances, Infrastructure, Public Authorities, Transportation

February 2023 —

Last year the New York State Thruway Authority proposed a multi-year schedule of toll increases to begin in 2024. This report provides a summary of the Thruway Authority’s current and forecasted revenue and expenses, factors that have impacted its finances over the past several years, the toll increase proposal, and considerations to help guide the assessment of the proposal.

Budget & Finances

January 2023 —

New York has one of the nation’s highest debt levels, largely because measures to restrict the excessive use of debt have been circumvented over the years in State budgets. This report identifies policy and fiscal weaknesses that have allowed State debt to grow to troubling levels and offers a roadmap for State debt reform to improve debt affordability and protect New York’s fiscal health.

Environment, Pension & Retirement

January 2023 —

The Corporate Governance Program supports and facilitates the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in the Common Retirement Fund’s due diligence process, investment decisions, and performance monitoring program, and provides active stewardship of the Fund’s public equity holdings.

Procurement

January 2023 —

The Office of the State Comptroller received 18,605 contract transactions, including both new contracts and contract amendments, valued at $173 billion in the calendar year 2021. The average time from agency contract submission to final sign-off was 5.3 days.

December 2022 —

A look back at some of the major accomplishments of the Office of the New York State Comptroller in 2022, including building on the State pension fund's $20 billion in climate solutions investments, investing an additional $350 million in New York State businesses, uncovering $5.4 billion in cost savings through audits of critical programs, returning $400 million in lost money to rightful owners, and more.

Budget & Finances, Public Authorities

December 2022 —

This report provides the public detailed information about State and local public authorities and makes recommendations to improve transparency and eliminate use of backdoor borrowing and debt gimmicks that seek to weaken or circumvent debt limits.

Also see State Public Authorities Dashboard

Economy, Health & Welfare

December 2022 —

New York had the 13th highest poverty rate among states in 2021, and has surpassed the national average since 2014. These rates have been persistently higher among some groups, including children; New Yorkers of color, and those with less than a high school education. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an expansion of the safety net by the federal government that effectively reduced poverty, and some parts of that should be continued. State government should also ensure resources are equitably targeted and a cross-agency focus is maintained to alleviate poverty in a sustained manner.

Economy

November 2022 —

New York’s labor force is one of the nation’s largest, but it decreased by 1% between 2011 and 2021 while the rest of the nation increased by 5.1%. DiNapoli’s report assess the pandemic's impact and long-term trends in the workforce, including by age, education level, race and ethnicity, disability, and unionization status. While New York’s labor force is large, diverse and well-educated, attention should be paid to its underlying structure to attract and retain workers.

Budget & Finances

November 2022 —

The Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) prepares this report as part of the “Quick Start” process established in State Finance Law. The report includes revenue and spending projections through SFY 2024-25.

Health & Welfare

November 2022 —

Drug overdose fatalities surged during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York State, with opioid-related overdose deaths increasing by 68% to nearly 5,000 individuals from 2019 to 2021. The surge is largely due to a sharp increase in deaths from opioids related to illicit fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids. This report outlines long-term trends and recent developments in the battle to save lives from being lost prematurely to substance use disorder.

Economy

October 2022 —

Homeownership can provide economic benefits, but New York State has the lowest homeownership rate in the nation, driven by low rates in New York City. New York also has a racial and ethnic ownership disparity that is higher than the rest of the country. Reducing inequities in real estate practices and boosting homeownership should be important priorities for maintaining New York’s competitiveness as a place of opportunity.

Economy

October 2022 —

Employee ownership (EO) arrangements provide employees with a defined stake in the companies they work for and can impact business owners and individual workers positively. This report examines the prevalence of employee-owned firms in New York and provides options for policymakers to consider for educating businesses, workers, and communities on the benefits and drawbacks associated with EO.

Budget & Finances

September 2022 —

As State policymakers responded to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying volatility in the State’s finances, New York ended the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2021-22 budget on stable ground. 

Budget & Finances

September 2022 —

The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the State of New York for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.

Budget & Finances, Pension & Retirement

September 2022 —

The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the New York State and Local Retirement System (the System or NYSLRS) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.

Economy

September 2022 —

New Yorkers and consumers across the nation are experiencing growing household debt. The average household debt in New York climbed to a new high of $53,830 at the end of 2021. While New Yorkers trail the national average debt burden ($55,810), student loan and credit card debt per capita were well above the national average, with student loan balances 335% higher than they were in 2003.

Fraud & Waste

September 2022 —

The New York State Legislature amended the State Finance Law in 2015 by adding a new Section 8-c providing for the establishment of a statewide electronic system to help detect and prevent fraud, waste and abuse in government spending and to help avoid improper payment of public funds.