Case Study: New York Apple Association quantifies New York’s apple industry contribution with IMPLAN

How the New York Apple Association Partnered with the Cornell Cooperative Extension to Find the Economic Contribution of Apples to the State

The New York Apple Association (NYAA) needed to quantify the complete economic contribution of the state's apple industry, not just its direct output, to demonstrate its full value to the local economy and policymakers. To achieve this, they partnered with Cornell University researchers who utilized the IMPLAN economic modeling application for a comprehensive contribution analysis.

Using IMPLAN, the team aggregated seven key sectors of the apple industry. After initial survey data collection failed, they creatively sourced primary spending data from a Cornell Cooperative Extension program to ensure model accuracy. The IMPLAN analysis revealed the industry's total contribution was $2.1 billion in output, $587.9 million in labor income, and nearly 12,000 jobs supported. These compelling results garnered significant media attention and helped the NYAA secure support from local legislators.

New York Apple Association