New York businesses are adopting artificial intelligence at a slower pace than businesses nationwide, according to a new WeWork analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
The analysis found that 17.9% of businesses in the New York metropolitan area reported using AI as of July 2026, compared with 21.7% nationally.
The data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Trends and Outlook Survey, which tracks whether businesses have used AI in the previous two weeks and whether they expect to use it during the following six months. New York’s adoption rate increased from 14% in January, a 3.9 percentage-point increase over six months.
Despite the growth, New York businesses remain below the national average. In January, local businesses projected that 19.5% would be using AI by July. The actual rate was 17.9%. Looking ahead, 20.9% of New York businesses said they expect to use AI during the next six months.
The findings also show differences in adoption based on company size and industry. Businesses with 250 or more employees reported using AI at nearly twice the rate of businesses with one to four employees.
Nationally, adoption was highest in the Information sector at 43.7%, followed by Professional Services at 37.6% and Finance and Insurance at 36%. Retail and Arts and Entertainment reported lower adoption rates of 17.4% and 18.3%, respectively.
AI adoption has so far had limited reported effects on employment. Nearly 96% of AI-using businesses reported no changes in headcount, while 2% reported reducing staff and 2.3% reported adding employees.
The full analysis includes interactive charts examining AI adoption, company size, industries, workforce changes and reasons businesses are not adopting the technology. The findings offer additional context on how New York businesses are responding to the growing use of AI.
