Lights, Camera, Data: Westchester Launches Annual Film Survey to Fuel $2 Billion Industry

The media industry in Westchester County is a full-scale economic engine powering growth from the Hudson River to the Long Island Sound.

To measure this industry’s footprint, Westchester County Tourism & Film (WCTF) has launched its annual Film Production Survey, which calls on local businesses to help quantify the silver screen’s impact on the county’s bottom line.

The WCTF is asking all businesses that hosted media production activity over the past year, including overnight accommodation, basecamps, parking, holding, or catering, to complete a confidential economic impact survey by February 13.

The data collected isn’t just for spreadsheets. These insights allow the WCTF to:

• Enhance Services: Tailor local support to facilitate smoother production.
• Market Westchester: Solidify the county’s reputation as a top-tier location for film and TV.
• Drive Revenue: Generate continued economic activity and local jobs.

By participating in the survey, Westchester businesses provide the hard data needed to defend these incentives and prove that when the cameras roll, the whole county wins.

Despite the industry-wide hurdles over the last few years, film is undeniably big business in Westchester. The numbers speak for themselves: in 2022 and 2023, film production generated $2 billion in economic activity, supported 6,796 jobs, and resulted in $656 million in wages.

This media boom is no accident. Strong advocates like the Business Council of Westchester (BCW), a longtime champion of industry leaders like Great Point Studios in Yonkers, support the local media industry’s growth.

To ensure that the “Hollywood on the Hudson” momentum continues, the BCW continues to support the film/television sector in its advocacy, including a full-throated endorsement for extending the state’s Film Tax Credit Program in its 2026 Legislative Agenda.