The Southern Tier has ample supply of available industrial space, industrial parks and incubator facilities. The Southern Tier has recently become a mecca for distribution warehouse operations-new and or significant expansions with hundreds of jobs created by Maines Paper and Food, Willow Run, and Penguin Putnam Publishing. The region is headquarters for Security Mutual, and Columbian Mutual Life Insurance. The sloping, fertile land around the Finger Lakes supports a substantial wine industry. The sparsely settled uplands support a large dairy industry.
Tourism is also a rapidly growing industry for the region.
Buffalo and New York City metropolitan areas are accessed via Route 17, the Southern Tier Expressway. Three regional airports at Binghamton, Elmira and Ithaca provide passenger service through USAir and a number of commuter airlines connecting the Southern Tier to national and international destinations. The region also has six general aviation airports. The Southern Tier's labor force of almost 342,000 includes more than 6,400 scientists and engineers in the Binghamton area alone, one of the highest per capita concentrations of engineers in the country. The region has more than a dozen colleges and universities.