Bloomberg: NYC has consistently improved over the last decade

Are New Yorkers better off under Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his third term than they were in his second (or his first)?

Hizzoner says yes -- for the most part -- in the Mayor's Management Report for the 2012 fiscal year, which was released Wednesday.

The report says the city did as well or better in 2012 than the prior year in most areas, including cleaner streets, more tourists visiting New York and an increase in counterterrorism training for officers.

"New York City services and operations have consistently improved over the last 10 years -- even through difficult economic cycles that required cost-cutting measures -- because of our commitment to finding innovative ways to deliver better services at a lower cost," Bloomberg said in a statement. But the news wasn't all good.

Major felonies in Gotham rose by more than 3.6% in 2012 when compared to last year, according to the report, to 109,299 -- mostly due to increases in robberies, assaults and burglaries -- but are down nearly 26% since 2003. Crime in the subway system also went up last year, though transit crime is down since 2003.

Here's a look at some other of the report's findings:

-- The number of New Yorkers who smoke went up to 14.8% from 14% in 2011. In 2003 -- before many of the city's smoking bans -- 21.5% of adults smoked.

-- The average response time to crimes in progress has gone up from 7.5 minutes in 2003 to 9.1 minutes in 2012.

-- Traffic fatalities went up more than 20% in 2012 when compared to 2011, but have decreased since 2003. Overall traffic crashes are slightly up since 2007.

-- The number of homeless people not living in shelters has gone down since 2003, but went up more than 20% from 2011 to 2012 to 3,262.