John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Income Maintenance was the smallest contributor. Medicaid was the largest, totaling $84.98 billion, equating to $4,319 per capita and making up 32.1% of total transfers.
Social Security was the second largest contributor in New York in 2022, accounting for $71.05 billion, averaging $3,611 per capita, and represented 26.8% of transfers in the state. Medicare transfers provided another $58.9 billion, averaging $2,993 per capita and comprising 22.2% of government support, making them the third largest contributors.
Statewide, including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $264.91 billion, and accounted for 17.9% of residents’ total income, with an average of $13,463 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 18% of the population aged 65 and older, New York has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. The total per capita income in New York, excluding government transfers was $61,944.8, which is noticeably below the county's total income of $75,407, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, New York saw an increase in its Income Maintenance transfer dependency by 0.2%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In New York, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 9.5% (or $2,731 per capita) in 1970 to 17.9% (or $13,463 per capita) in 2022.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kings County | 1 | 23.8% | 15.6% | 3.6% | 4.9% | 10.3% | 4% | $14,305 |
| Queens County | 2 | 27% | 18% | 4.9% | 5.5% | 11.4% | 4% | $14,646 |
| New York County | 3 | 8.3% | 18.4% | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3.2% | 1.1% | $15,557 |
| Bronx County | 4 | 37.5% | 14.6% | 5.6% | 7.8% | 15.4% | 7.1% | $15,252 |
| Suffolk County | 5 | 14.8% | 17.9% | 5.2% | 4.2% | 3.3% | 1.2% | $12,478 |
| Nassau County | 6 | 12% | 18.7% | 4.3% | 3.4% | 2.7% | 0.8% | $11,969 |
| Erie County | 7 | 21.9% | 19.3% | 7.5% | 4.8% | 5.1% | 2.9% | $12,596 |
| Westchester County | 8 | 9.5% | 18.2% | 3.2% | 2.4% | 2.5% | 0.9% | $11,751 |
| Monroe County | 9 | 22.1% | 18.7% | 7.5% | 4.8% | 5.6% | 2.9% | $13,098 |
| Richmond County | 10 | 24.9% | 17.3% | 6% | 5% | 9.4% | 3.3% | $15,541 |
| Onondaga County | 11 | 20.6% | 18.7% | 7.1% | 4.4% | 5.1% | 2.7% | $12,460 |
| Orange County | 12 | 19% | 14.6% | 5.9% | 4.2% | 5.2% | 2.2% | $11,030 |
| Rockland County | 13 | 17.6% | 15.7% | 5.3% | 4% | 5.4% | 2% | $11,940 |
| Albany County | 14 | 16.6% | 18.3% | 5.5% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 1.7% | $12,164 |
| Dutchess County | 15 | 17.7% | 19.1% | 6.6% | 4.6% | 3.9% | 1.4% | $12,107 |
| Oneida County | 16 | 26.6% | 19.8% | 8.6% | 5.5% | 7% | 3.7% | $13,733 |
| Niagara County | 17 | 25.9% | 20.7% | 9.6% | 5.9% | 5.7% | 2.9% | $13,421 |
| Broome County | 18 | 25.9% | 20.2% | 9.1% | 5.7% | 6.1% | 3.4% | $12,651 |
| Saratoga County | 19 | 13.9% | 19.9% | 6.2% | 3.2% | 2.3% | 1.1% | $10,389 |
| Ulster County | 20 | 21.8% | 21.3% | 7.6% | 5.4% | 5.7% | 2% | $13,560 |
| Schenectady County | 21 | 22.2% | 17.9% | 7.1% | 4.8% | 6.2% | 2.8% | $12,679 |
| Rensselaer County | 22 | 21.3% | 18.5% | 7.6% | 4.5% | 5.3% | 2.2% | $11,945 |
| Chautauqua County | 23 | 31% | 21.4% | 10.4% | 6.3% | 7.8% | 4.4% | $14,352 |
| Oswego County | 24 | 27.4% | 17.9% | 9.6% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 3.5% | $12,933 |
| Ontario County | 25 | 20.1% | 22.2% | 8.2% | 4.5% | 4% | 1.8% | $12,420 |
| St. Lawrence County | 26 | 29.2% | 18.8% | 9.7% | 6.5% | 7.2% | 3.4% | $12,920 |
| Jefferson County | 27 | 22.4% | 15.2% | 6.7% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 3.1% | $11,568 |
| Steuben County | 28 | 24.9% | 20.8% | 8.7% | 5.3% | 5.6% | 3% | $13,523 |
| Wayne County | 29 | 24.4% | 20.8% | 9.4% | 5.8% | 5.3% | 2.4% | $13,134 |
| Sullivan County | 30 | 27.4% | 19.2% | 7.9% | 6% | 9% | 3.2% | $14,926 |
| Chemung County | 31 | 27.8% | 20.4% | 9.4% | 6.1% | 6.9% | 3.5% | $14,332 |
| Clinton County | 32 | 26.6% | 19.2% | 9.3% | 6.3% | 5.8% | 3.1% | $13,619 |
| Putnam County | 33 | 13.4% | 19.1% | 5.8% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 0.7% | $10,796 |
| Cattaraugus County | 34 | 30.1% | 20.6% | 10.2% | 6.6% | 7.1% | 3.8% | $13,733 |
| Cayuga County | 35 | 24.5% | 21.4% | 8.8% | 5.8% | 5.3% | 2.9% | $12,644 |
| Tompkins County | 36 | 17.3% | 16.3% | 6.7% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 1.9% | $8,839 |
| Warren County | 37 | 22.6% | 24.2% | 9.4% | 5.2% | 4.3% | 2% | $13,730 |
| Columbia County | 38 | 20.2% | 26.3% | 7.8% | 4.5% | 4.9% | 1.8% | $13,942 |
| Herkimer County | 39 | 28.3% | 22% | 9.6% | 6.2% | 7.5% | 3.2% | $13,978 |
| Madison County | 40 | 21.9% | 20.5% | 8% | 5.4% | 4.8% | 2.1% | $12,262 |
| Fulton County | 41 | 29.6% | 20.9% | 9.6% | 6.1% | 8.7% | 3.5% | $14,858 |
| Washington County | 42 | 26.5% | 21.6% | 9.7% | 5.9% | 6.1% | 2.9% | $12,641 |
| Otsego County | 43 | 25.2% | 21.3% | 9.2% | 6.4% | 5.5% | 2.4% | $12,512 |
| Montgomery County | 44 | 32% | 19.2% | 10.1% | 7.1% | 9.1% | 4% | $15,025 |
| Livingston County | 45 | 23.8% | 20.1% | 9.5% | 5.2% | 5.1% | 2.4% | $11,944 |
| Genesee County | 46 | 24.8% | 20.2% | 9.6% | 6% | 4.7% | 2.4% | $12,207 |
| Chenango County | 47 | 28.5% | 22.1% | 10.2% | 6.8% | 6.3% | 3.4% | $14,058 |
| Greene County | 48 | 23.9% | 24.2% | 9.1% | 5.7% | 5.2% | 2.2% | $13,447 |
| Franklin County | 49 | 28.1% | 19.8% | 9.4% | 6% | 7.3% | 3.5% | $13,814 |
| Delaware County | 50 | 29.8% | 26.3% | 11.1% | 7.6% | 6.7% | 2.8% | $13,684 |
| Tioga County | 51 | 24.7% | 22.1% | 9.8% | 5.6% | 4.9% | 2.7% | $12,527 |
| Allegany County | 52 | 30.2% | 20.3% | 10.6% | 6.5% | 6.8% | 3.6% | $12,485 |
| Cortland County | 53 | 24.8% | 17.3% | 8.4% | 5.3% | 6.4% | 3.2% | $11,807 |
| Orleans County | 54 | 29.3% | 20.2% | 10.5% | 6.9% | 6.3% | 3.6% | $13,286 |
| Essex County | 55 | 26.2% | 26.5% | 9.6% | 5.6% | 6.9% | 2.2% | $14,014 |
| Wyoming County | 56 | 23.1% | 20.4% | 9.1% | 5.7% | 4.4% | 2.1% | $11,617 |
| Seneca County | 57 | 27.2% | 21.7% | 10.1% | 6.1% | 6.3% | 3% | $12,673 |
| Schoharie County | 58 | 25.1% | 23.8% | 9.9% | 5.2% | 5.5% | 2.7% | $12,403 |
| Lewis County | 59 | 21.6% | 20.5% | 7.4% | 4.7% | 5.1% | 2.5% | $11,670 |
| Yates County | 60 | 25.2% | 22.4% | 9.7% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 2.5% | $12,422 |
| Schuyler County | 61 | 29.6% | 23.3% | 11.1% | 7% | 6.5% | 3% | $14,459 |
| Hamilton County | 62 | 25.3% | 33.8% | 11.5% | 6.4% | 4.4% | 1.6% | $13,701 |
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