Monroe County, New York


Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, located along Lake Ontario's southern shore. As of 2022, the population was 752,035, according to Census Bureau estimates. Its county seat and largest city is Rochester. The county is named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States. Monroe County is part of the upstate [Rochester, New York (state)|New York metropolitan area|Rochester, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area]. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state.
WWW monroecounty.gov

History

When counties were established in the province of New York in 1683, the present Monroe County was part of Albany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of the State of New York as well as all of the present State of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. This county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766, by the creation of Cumberland County, and further on March 16, 1770, by the creation of Gloucester County, both containing territory now in Vermont.
On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. One of the other pieces, Tryon County, contained the western portion. The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the Adirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of the Delaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County now includes 37 counties of the State of New York. The county was named for William Tryon, colonial governor of New York.
In the years prior to 1776, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to Canada. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, the name of Tryon County was changed to Montgomery County in order to honor the general, Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec, replacing the name of the hated British governor.
In 1789, Ontario County was split off from Montgomery. The actual area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, also including the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, Wyoming, Yates, and part of Schuyler and Wayne counties.
Genesee County was created by a splitting of Ontario County in 1802. This was much larger than the present Genesee County, however. It contained the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming, and portions of Livingston and Monroe counties.
Finally, Monroe County was formed from parts of Genesee and Ontario counties in 1821.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county's total area is, of which is land and is water.
Monroe County is in Western State of New York's northern tier, northeast of Buffalo and northwest of Syracuse. The northern county line is also the state line and the border of the United States, marked by Lake Ontario. Monroe County is north of the Finger Lakes.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Government and politics

Monroe County was chartered as a municipal corporation by the New York State Legislature in 1892 and rechartered under New York's Municipal Home Rule Law in 1965.
From 1856 to 1932, Monroe County voters voted for the Republican candidate in every presidential election apart from 1912. Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson was able to win the county in 1912 when the Republican vote was divided between then incumbent president William Howard Taft and former president Theodore Roosevelt. Monroe County voted for incumbent Democratic presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. From 1952 to 1976, Monroe County voted for the Republican candidate in all presidential elections except for Lyndon B. Johnson's Democratic landslide in 1964. In 1980, incumbent Democratic president Jimmy Carter won Monroe County, despite having lost in the county to Republican Gerald Ford in 1976. Monroe County went back to voting Republican in 1984 and 1988, but has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate every time from 1992 onwards, including the 2024 election. In 2020, Joe Biden received the highest percentage of the vote for a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson's 1964 landslide.
In recent years, the urban area's traditional partisan dynamic appears to have begun shifting in the Democratic Party's favor at the local level. A Democrat won the 2017 race for county sheriff for the first time in decades, in 2019 Democrat Adam Bello was elected county executive after over 30 years of Republican control, in 2020 democrats Samra Brouk and Jeremy Cooney flipped state senate districts long held by the GOP, and the traditionally Republican county legislature is now split 16–13 in favor of the Democratic Party. This matches a broader national trend of increased Democratic success in suburban areas.

Executive branch

The county's executive branch is headed by the county executive, Adam Bello. The executive's office is on the first floor of the county office building on West Main Street in Rochester. The county clerk is Jamie Romeo, a Democrat.
The county was exclusively governed by a board of supervisors for the first 114 years of its history. In 1935, the position of county manager, appointed by the board, was approved by popular referendum. In 1983, the position was replaced by a county executive, directly elected by popular vote, with expanded powers. In 1993, the legislature enacted term limits for the executive office of 12 consecutive years to start in 1996.
NameTitlePartyTerm
Clarence A. Smithcounty managerRepublicanJanuary 1, 1936 – December 31, 1959
Gordon A. Howecounty managerRepublicanJanuary 1, 1960 – December 31, 1971
Lucien A. Morincounty manager
county executive		RepublicanJanuary 18, 1972 – December 31, 1982
January 1, 1983 – December 31, 1986
Thomas R. Freycounty executiveDemocraticJanuary 1, 1987 – December 31, 1991
Robert L. Kingcounty executiveRepublicanJanuary 1, 1992 – January 14, 1995
John D. "Jack" Doylecounty executiveRepublicanJanuary 14, 1995 – December 31, 2003
Maggie Brookscounty executiveRepublicanJanuary 1, 2004 – December 31, 2015
Cheryl L. Dinolfocounty executiveRepublicanJanuary 1, 2016 – December 31, 2019
Adam J. Bellocounty executiveDemocraticJanuary 1, 2020 –

Sheriff

The Monroe County Sheriff's office provides law enforcement and has the constitutional authority to operate the county jail and provide civil functions. As with most counties in New York, the MCSO also performs a range of police services and provides physical and operational security to the courts. The MCSO is led by a sheriff who is elected by the residents of Monroe County, serving a 4-year term. The sheriff is considered the highest police official in the county, followed by an appointed undersheriff and subordinate chief deputy. The Monroe County Sheriff is Todd K. Baxter, a Democrat.
Organizationally, the office is composed of numerous bureaus, each responsible for a given scope of functional operations. The jail bureau is the largest component of the sheriff's office, overseeing an inmate population of around 1,000. Under the New York State Constitution, the sheriff is the warden of the county jail.
The police bureau of the sheriff's office operates a sizable road patrol force which serves municipalities within Monroe County that do not independently enforce traffic. They are also responsible for primary police patrols at the Greater Rochester International Airport and parks throughout the county. Deputies assigned to the marine unit patrol the coastline of Lake Ontario as well as Irondequoit Bay. The police bureau further employs a mounted unit, bomb squad, SWAT team, hostage recovery, criminal investigations, scuba, and canine units. The court security bureau provides security at the Hall of Justice as well as at the state appellate court building.
In 2011, the uniforms were named the 2011 Public Safety Uniform Award in the County Sheriff's/Police Department category by the North American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors.

Legislative branch

The county's legislative branch consists of a 29-member county legislature which replaced the earlier 43-member board of supervisors on January 1, 1967. Members meet in the legislative chambers on the fourth floor of the county office building. All 29 members of the legislature are elected from districts. There are 16 Democrats and 13 Republicans. The president of the legislature is Yversha Román, a Democrat. In 1993, the legislature enacted term limits of 10 consecutive years to start in 1996. Legislators can return to the office after not being in the legislature for a term. Since the enacting of term limits, as of 2024 four legislators returned after previously leaving due to the term limit; Boyce was reelected again three times; Lee and Colby were appointed to fill vacancies before subsequently being reelected themselves; and Aldersley was appointed before being defeated for reelection.
DistrictAreaLegislatorPartyResidenceTenure began
1Parma, GreeceG. Blake KellerRepublicanParma2021
2Hamlin, Clarkson, SwedenJackie Smith, Assistant Republican LeaderRepublicanClarkson2020
3ChiliTracy DiFlorioRepublicanChili2016
4Gates, GreeceVirginia McIntyreRepublicanGates2024
5Henrietta, Mendon, Pittsford, Rush, PerintonRichard B. MilneRepublicanMendon2022
6GreeceSean McCabeRepublicanGreece2022
7GreeceKirk MorrisRepublicanGreece2022
8WebsterMark C. JohnsRepublicanWebster2022
9PenfieldPaul Dondorfer, Deputy Republican LeaderRepublicanPenfield2020
10Brighton, PittsfordHoward MaffucciDemocraticPittsford2018
11Perinton, East RochesterJohn B. BaynesDemocraticPerinton2020
12Henrietta, Riga, WheatlandSteve Brew, Republican LeaderRepublicanRiga2016
13Henrietta, PittsfordMichael Yudelson, Majority LeaderDemocraticHenrietta2020
14Brighton, PenfieldSusan Hughes-SmithDemocraticBrighton2022
15Penfield, WebsterFrank CiardiRepublicanWebster2024
16Irondequoit, RochesterDave LongDemocraticIrondequoit2022
17Irondequoit, RochesterRachel BarnhartDemocraticRochester2019
18PerintonLystra Bartholomew McCoyDemocraticPerinton2024
19GreeceTom SinclairRepublicanGreece2024
20Greece, Ogden, Sweden, ChiliRobert ColbyRepublicanOgden2020
21Rochester, IrondequoitSantos CruzDemocraticRochester2024
22RochesterMercedes Vazquez-Simmons, Vice PresidentDemocraticRochester2022
23RochesterLinda HasmanDemocraticRochester2020
24Rochester, BrightonAlbert Blankley, Assistant Majority LeaderDemocraticRochester2022
25RochesterCarolyn Delvecchio Hoffman, Assistant Majority LeaderDemocraticRochester2022
26Rochester, Greece, IrondequoitYversha M. Román, President of the LegislatureDemocraticRochester2020
27Rochester, GatesRose BonnickDemocraticRochester2024
28RochesterRicky FrazierDemocraticRochester2022
29RochesterWilliam Burgess, Deputy Majority LeaderDemocraticRochester2022

Judicial branch

  • Monroe County Court
  • Monroe County Family Court, for matters involving children
  • Monroe County Surrogates Court, for matters involving the deceased

Representation at the federal level

After redistricting based on the 2020 United States census, New York's 27th district was eliminated and Monroe County went from being split between two congressional districts to being wholly contained in one:
DistrictAreas of Monroe CountyCongresspersonPartyFirst took officeResidence
New York's 25th congressional districtAll of Monroe CountyJoseph D. MorelleDemocratic2018Irondequoit, Monroe County

Representation at the state level

New York State Senate

After redistricting based on the 2020 United States census, Monroe County was split among four state senate districts:
DistrictAreas of Monroe CountySenatorPartyFirst took officeResidence
54Chili, Mendon, Rush, Wheatland, RigaPam HelmingRepublican2017Canandaigua, Ontario County
55Irondequoit, Penfield, Perinton, Pittsford, East Rochester, Webster, East part of the City of RochesterSamra BroukDemocratic2021Rochester, Monroe County
56Greece, Gates, Brighton, Henrietta, West part of the City of RochesterJeremy CooneyDemocratic2021Rochester, Monroe County
62Clarkson, Hamlin, Parma, Ogden, SwedenRobert OrttRepublican2015North Tonawanda, Niagara County

New York State Assembly

After redistricting based on the 2020 United States census, Monroe County was split among eight state assembly districts:
DistrictAreas of Monroe CountyAssemblypersonPartyFirst took officeResidence
130WebsterBrian ManktelowRepublican2019Lyons, Wayne County
133Rush, WheatlandAndrea BaileyRepublican2025Geneseo, Livingston County
134Greece, Ogden, ParmaJosh JensenRepublican2021Greece, Monroe County
135East Rochester, Mendon, Penfield, Perinton, PittsfordJennifer LunsfordDemocratic2021Webster, Monroe County
136Brighton, Irondequoit, northwest portion and easternmost tip of the City of RochesterSarah ClarkDemocratic2021Rochester, Monroe County
137Gates, center of the City of RochesterDemond MeeksDemocratic2021Rochester, Monroe County
138Chili, Henrietta, Riga, parts of the City of RochesterHarry B. BronsonDemocratic2011Rochester, Monroe County
139Clarkson, Hamlin, SwedenStephen M. HawleyRepublican2006Batavia, Genesee County

Courts

Monroe County is part of

Law enforcement

Monroe County has eleven police forces, with residents of a number of towns relying on the county sheriff for law enforcement duties.
Agency NameLocationWebsiteDCJS AccreditationCALEA AccreditationRelative Size
Brighton Police Department2300 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14618https://www.townofbrighton.org/198/Police-DepartmentYesNoMedium
Brockport Police Department1 Clinton St, Brockport, NY 14420https://www.brockportny.org/departments-services/policeYesNoSmall
East Rochester Police Department317 Main St, East Rochester, NY 14445https://www.eastrochester.org/Police-DepartmentYesNoSmall
Fairport Police Department31 S Main St, Fairport, NY 14450https://fairportny.com/police-departmentYesNoSmall
Gates Police Department1605 Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY 14624https://www.townofgates.org/departments/police-department/YesNoMedium
Greece Police Department6 Vince Tofany Blvd, Greece, NY 14612https://www.greecepolice.org/YesYesLarge
Irondequoit Police Department1300 Titus Ave, Rochester, NY 14617https://www.irondequoit.org/government/police-department/YesNoMedium
Monroe County Sheriff's Office130 S Plymouth Ave, Rochester, NY 14614https://www.monroecounty.gov/sheriffYesNoLargest in the county
Ogden Police Department269 Ogden Center Rd, Spencerport, NY 14559https://www.ogdenny.com/161/Police-DepartmentYesNoSmall
Rochester Police Department185 Exchange Blvd, Rochester, NY 14614https://www.cityofrochester.gov/rpd/YesYesLargest municipal agency
Webster Police Department1000 Ridge Rd, Webster, NY 14580https://www.ci.webster.ny.us/150/PoliceYesNoMedium

Economy

Monroe County is a home to a number of international businesses, including Eastman Kodak, Paychex, and Pictometry International, all of which make Monroe County their world headquarters. While no longer headquartered in Rochester, Xerox has its largest manufacturing facilities in Monroe County, and Bausch and Lomb was headquartered in Rochester until it was acquired by Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Monroe County is also home to regional businesses such as Wegmans, Roberts Communications, Inc., Holding Corp., and major fashion label Hickey Freeman.

High technology

Tech Valley, the technologically recognized area of eastern New York State, has spawned a western offshoot into the Rochester, Monroe County, and Finger Lakes areas of New York State. Since the 2000s, as the more established companies in Rochester downsized, the economy of Rochester and Monroe County has been redirected toward high technology, with new, smaller companies providing the seed capital necessary for business foundation. The Rochester and Monroe County area is important in the field of photographic processing and imaging as well as incubating an increasingly diverse high technology sphere encompassing STEM fields, in part the result of private startup enterprises collaborating with major academic institutions, including the University of Rochester and Cornell University. Given the high prevalence of imaging and optical science among the industry and the universities, Rochester is known as the world capital of imaging. The Institute of Optics of the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology in nearby Henrietta both have imaging programs.

Major employers

Several industries occupy a major portion of the jobs located regionally, with health care comprising a significant portion of jobs in Monroe County. The University of Rochester is the largest employer regionally with over 27,000 workers; Rochester Regional Health is the second largest consisting of over 15,000. Wegmans is third with about 13,000 local employees.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 759,443 people, 301,948
households, and 232,500 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 330,247 housing units at an average density of. The county's racial makeup was 68.6% White, 15.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 4.3% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.0% from other races, and 7.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.6% of the population. 18.6% were of Italian, 15.3% German, 11.3% Irish and 8.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000. In 2007, 4.64% of the population reported speaking Spanish at home, while 1.43% spoke Italian.
There were 301,948 households, out of which 54% were married couples living together, 18% had a female householder with no husband present, 6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 23% were non-families. The average household size was 2.37.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21% being 18 or younger, 15% from 19 to 29, 13% from 30 to 39, 11% from 40 to 49, 14% from 50 to 59, 12% from 60 to 69, and 13% who were 70 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. 52% of the population was Female, and 48% was Male
The median income for a household in the county was $62,103. The per capita income for the county was $35,797. About 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over. 90.4% of those 25 years or over was a High school graduate or higher, and 38.6% of those 25 years or over had a Bachelor's degree or higher.
According to the U.S. Religion Census of 2020, 380,869 county residents, 50.2% of the county population, adhere to a Religion. Of the 50.2% of Religious adherents, 27.5% are Catholic, 9.4% are Protestant, 6.0% are Nondenominational Christians, 2.4% are Muslim, 1.2% are Hindu, 1.1% are Jewish, 0.6% are Jehovah's Witnesses, 0.6% are Mormon, 0.5% are Buddhist, and 0.3% are Eastern Orthodox.

Education

Primary and secondary education

The public school systems educates the overwhelming majority of Monroe County's children. The schools operated by the Catholic Diocese of Rochester or Roman Catholic religious orders educate the next largest segment of children, although collectively, they are a distant second.

Public schools

There are some 25 public school districts that serve Monroe County, including the Rochester City School District, 10 suburban school districts in Monroe #1 BOCES, seven in Monroe #2–Orleans BOCES, and several primarily serving other counties.
NameBOCESEstablishedDistrict populationProfessional staffSupport staffMedian teacher salaryEnrollmentBudgetPer pupil cost
Avon Central School District?????????
Brighton Central School DistrictMonroe #1196626450372293$635803681$74.0 million$18444
Brockport Central School DistrictMonroe #2–Orleans192730000356362$599713411$78.9 million$23128
Byron-Bergen Central School District?????????
Caledonia-Mumford Central School District?????????
Churchville-Chili Central School DistrictMonroe #2–Orleans195030000350322$597523845$82.6 million$21523
East Irondequoit Central School DistrictMonroe #1195627000335352$564473145$76.3 million$24257
East Rochester Union Free School DistrictMonroe #11920820012591$538291179$27.4 million$23282
Fairport Central School DistrictMonroe #1195140000645516$656305905$123.3 million$20874
Gates Chili Central School DistrictMonroe #2–Orleans195635000451402$614234123$100.8 million$24459
Greece Central School DistrictMonroe #2–Orleans19289600011271249$7210011094$221.2 million$19941
Hilton Central School DistrictMonroe #2–Orleans194925323421367$604074452$80.0 million$17965
Holley Central School DistrictMonroe #2–Orleans1949777412587$533661051$24.4 million$23216
Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School DistrictMonroe #1196910500219205$620742212$48.5 million$19542
Kendall Central School DistrictMonroe #2–Orleans195730008676$53551704$17.4 million$22269
Penfield Central School DistrictMonroe #1194831000438477$616124564$93.3 million$20445
Pittsford Central School DistrictMonroe #1194633000575656$678485685$125.5 million$22280
Rochester City School District-18412090005786 5786 $6161730217$864.7 million$21546
Rush-Henrietta Central School DistrictMonroe #1194746000613603$633445247$119.9 million$22838
Spencerport Central School DistrictMonroe #2–Orleans194923000408351$623483584$77.1 million$21521
Victor Central School District?????????
Webster Central School DistrictMonroe #1194854093801631$664088549$163.9 million$19167
West Irondequoit Central School DistrictMonroe #1195323754344258$598553568$71.2 million$19916
Wheatland–Chili Central School DistrictMonroe #2–Orleans195551008063$54967691$17.8 million$23837

Private schools

There are three private schools that serve more than 200 students each:
There is one small, but historically significant school: Rochester School for the Deaf in the city

Parochial schools

  • There are three small Judaic schools and two small Islamic schools.
  • There are about ten primary schools operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester.
  • There are four senior high schools operated by or in the tradition of a Roman Catholic religious order:
  • There are more than two dozen schools operated by various sects of Christianity, two of which serve more than 200 students:

Colleges and universities

The county is home to nine colleges and universities:
Additionally, three colleges maintain satellite campuses in Monroe County:

Parks and recreation

County parks

The following is a list of parks owned and maintained by Monroe County:

State parks

The following is a list of parks owned and maintained by New York State:

Golf courses

  • Arrowhead Golf Course & Marina
  • Deerfield Golf & Country Club
  • Durand Eastman Golf Course
  • Genesee Valley Golf Course
  • Majestic Hills Golf Course
  • Mill Creek Golf Club
  • Morgan's Crossing
  • Monroe Golf Club
  • Shadow Lake Golf & Racquet Club
  • Timber Ridge Golf Club
  • White Birch Golf Course

Communities

Towns

Hamlets

In New York, the term hamlet, while not defined in law, is used to describe an unincorporated community and geographic location within a town. The town in which each hamlet is located is in parentheses.