Queens County has rebounded strongly from the recession over the past two years with employment now at a record level of nearly 500,000 private sector jobs, according to an economic snapshot of the New York City borough by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
"Queens is a classic New York success story that is well-positioned for the future," DiNapoli said in his Dec. 13 report. "Superstorm Sandy [affected] thousands of Queens residents, but the borough is on the recovery path. With a strong economy, a fast growing and diverse population, and several large projects on the horizon, Queens is booming. "
In 2012, private sector employment in Queens reached 486,160 jobs, the highest level on record. Queens has the highest level of employment among the boroughs outside of Manhattan and accounted for 15.1% of all private sector jobs in the city.
Though the recession hit Queens hard, from 2010-2012 employment in the private sector rose by 6.6%, a faster rate than any other borough. Health care and social assistance is the largest employment sector in Queens, followed by transportation and warehousing and retail trade.
The population of Queens rose by 20% over the past three decades, faster than the citywide growth rate of 17%, reaching 2.3 million in 2012. Queens is the most diverse large county in the nation with no single dominant ethnic group. Immigrants from more than 120 countries contribute to the borough's diversity and constitute 48% of its residents.
