The Future of Upstate New York 

Since 2018, I’ve taught Sustainable Enterprise and Strategic Management of the Natural Environment at Syracuse University’s Whitman School, with fall 2025 enrolling nearly 60 students. Each semester, I use Simon Sinek’s Start with Why framework to help students articulate their purpose and connect it to sustainability. Over seven years and 250+ submissions, students—many for the first time—express deep introspection, humanistic values, and a desire for connection with nature and others. This year’s responses showed particular wisdom. We need principled, critical thinkers who can align purpose with enterprise to drive sustainable innovation. ~ Mark Coleman

By William Lewandowski

My father taught me a lot about being on the water, as he shares a lot of the same passions. As a biology teacher, he also taught me that the luxury that we have in Upstate New York is not collectively shared around the US and especially around the world. It’s hard not to notice the economic decay in Western/Central New York.

Once dominated by factories, and industries, throughout my life I have seen a stagnant economy with notable issues like “high taxes, job loss, cost of living” as often complained-about topics. And it makes sense. 

I have seen many people of all ages make the move down south to the Carolinas, Texas, or Georgia. And I don’t blame them. I completed a Life Sciences Consulting Internship last summer in Durham, NC and I ran into countless individuals who were from Buffalo, Rochester, or Syracuse. You don’t have to deal with the snow, the taxes are lower, there are greater opportunities for jobs; it is much easier to build wealth in those areas. As I am graduating from college in a few semesters, these are topics that I have to think about as well. And due to lack of opportunity for what I want to do, I also think I will be moving south upon graduation. 

So where does that leave Western + Central New York? 

Personally, I believe that there is and will be a massive opportunity for sustainable development in these areas in the future, but we aren’t there yet. First, you have to look at what makes the current “successful” places successful. For this comparison, I am going to make the comparison with the “Research Triangle” (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill). 

The biggest thing that comes to mind immediately is education. In the Research Triangle, within 30 minutes of one another are three top R1 universities in Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NC State. All three of these universities have their own core competencies. Upstate NY has something similar in Syracuse University, University of Rochester, and UB. But the disconnect between the two is in retaining talent. In the Research Triangle, there are plenty of high-paying, great jobs that keep people in the area, whereas in Upstate NY, talent tends to funnel to NYC, South, or cities like Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Now the question becomes how do you retain talent in the area? 

Opportunities for jobs is one of the biggest ways to do that but also factoring in cost of living relative to quality of life, as well as taxes. I looked at overall tax rates in Erie, Monroe, and Onondaga counties and compared it to Wake and Durham County in North Carolina. In the Research Triangle, income taxes are lower across all brackets, property taxes are 50-70% lower, and sales taxes are also lower. With a cheaper cost of living and better opportunities it seems like a no brainer, which is a major issue for Upstate NY. 

Where NYS Can Win 

I believe that the core competency for Upstate NY in the next 15-50 years is the abundance of access to freshwater. Buffalo sits on Lake Erie but is only a short drive to Lake Ontario. Syracuse and Rochester are also a short drive to Lake Ontario, but also greatly benefit from the proximity to the Finger Lakes. Now you may be wondering why this matters. 

It is evident that Artificial Intelligence and data processing will be a massive part of this country’s future. And a big part of that is data centers. Depending on the size of the data center, they can use between 1 and 5 MILLION gallons of water per day, but between 6 and 10 MILLION gallons of water in dry/hot climates. Given the abundance of water, I’d think that Upstate NY becomes a prime spot for technology infrastructure and AI investment. 

And, as climate change begins to affect more people, making some locations in the south and west not worth living there anymore, we could see a migration back to Upstate NY. Because at the end of the day, a snowstorm is much better than your home being destroyed by a hurricane, flood, earthquake, or wildfire. As environmental conditions continue to become more extreme, and insurance prices heighten, the places that seem cheaper now, could become much more costly. 

Action Plan 

New York State, especially Western and Central New York, needs to prepare for a revolution in the state. They need to ensure that infrastructure becomes better, education becomes better, and that state policy aligns with the goals of bringing prosperity back to the region. 

The other factor to consider is when this comeback does happen, whether it is in 15 years or 50, it needs to be done sustainably. As developers continue to build and more businesses come to the area, we need to make sure that the physical environment of Upstate New York does not become damaged – because that physical environment is what makes the place great and is the true core competency of Western + Central New York. While the future may look bleak now, I think there are great things coming to this place in the future. 

William Lewandowski

Whitman School of Management Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises ‘27 ~
Passionate business student with a focus on emerging ventures, value creation, and strategy.

walewand@syr.edu