Vital Records Digitization & Access

Modernizing 11.5M+ vital records dating back to 1881

Critical Backlog: 40,000 Pending Requests

New Yorkers currently wait 5+ months for genealogical records and 42 days for living records. Outdated manual processes and aging paper-based storage have created a mounting backlog. Governor Hochul will launch digitization of archival records and operational improvements to reduce wait times.

Total Records

11.5M

since 1881

Digitized

41%

4.7M records

Pending Requests

40,000

4,880/mo processed

After Digitization

5 days

projected (from 42d)

Queue Status

living Records

42 day avg. wait

28,000

Pending

4,200

This Month

7mo

To Clear

Current: 42dTarget: 10d

genealogical Records

152 day avg. wait

12,000

Pending

680

This Month

18mo

To Clear

Current: 152dTarget: 30d

Digitization Progress by Record Type

Birth Certificates40%

1680K of 4200K records digitized

1880s: 96%1890s: 96%1900s: 94%1910s: 91%1920s: 86%1930s: 72%1940s: 50%1950s: 32%1960s: 19%1970s: 16%1980s-present: 17%

Death Certificates60%

1860K of 3100K records digitized

1880s: 98%1890s: 98%1900s-1940s: 96%1950s-1970s: 76%1980s-present: 30%

Marriage Certificates30%

840K of 2800K records digitized

1880s-1920s: 90%1930s-1960s: 41%1970s-present: 9%

Divorce Certificates20%

280K of 1400K records digitized

Pre-1960: 89%1960s-1990s: 16%2000s-present: 3%

Before & After Digitization

Current (Paper-Based)

5+ month wait for genealogical records
42-day wait for living records
Manual search through physical archives
Paper records at risk of deterioration

After Digitization

5-day turnaround for all requests
Electronic searchable records
Online self-service portal
Protected from physical disaster loss

Demo prototype. Based on Governor Hochul's 2026 vital records modernization initiative. Backlog and wait time figures from the Governor's announcement.