There is broad consensus about what kind of economy and society New Yorkers would like to see over the decades to come: plentiful and remunerative jobs, reinvigorated communities from New York City to Oswego, and a safety net strong enough to facilitate upward mobility but infused with the values of work and family. Unfortunately, indications are that New York is drifting farther from that vision as time goes by. The jobs being created here generally pay less than those lost to other communities. The long decline of small cities and towns across the Empire State continues as the best and brightest of those communities relocate elsewhere. And the nation's own capacity to resist these trends through public programs that help working families to increase their earning power and stabilize their finances is undermined by budget cutters at both the federal and state levels. This new report reveals that the number of working poor families in the state has continued to rise in recent years. (Contains 5 tables and 29 endnotes.) [This policy brief was produced by the Center for an Urban Future and the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy as part of the Working Poor Families Project. It was written with Tara Colton, Tom Hilliard, and Karen Schimke.]