SUMMARY BACKGROUND

Summary description of the current economic development situation of the Southern Tier West region of New York State (Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany Counties), comprised of the northern-most counties in the federally designated Appalachia region. The region’s economic situation is consistent with this designation.

Unemployment

Since 2000, regional employment has been decreasing, in contrast to increasing employment at the State and national levels. The most significant regional employment sectors as of 2017 are Government; Education and Health Services; Trade, Transportation, and Utilities; Manufacturing, and Leisure and Hospitality.

The region’s unemployment rate often has exceeded the unemployment rate of both the State and nation, and this has been uniformly true since 2012.

The region has a significant amount of under-employed labor force due to job dislocations and the regional economy’s shift away from high-skilled, high-wage manufacturing jobs.

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic economic downturn has resulted in a substantial amount of additional unemployment.