Monroe County, New York

{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2023}}

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 (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). 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.

[[File:DevelopmentOfTheTownsOfMonroeCountyNY.svg|

thumb|512px|Development of the City of Rochester and the towns of Monroe County from the towns of Genesee and Ontario Counties|center]]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county's total area is {{convert|1367|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|657|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|710|sqmi}} (52%) is water.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_36.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 5, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519062322/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_36.txt|archive-date=May 19, 2014}}

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.

• Wayne County - east
• Ontario County - southeast
• Livingston County - south
• Orleans County - west
• Genesee County - southwest

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Monroe County was chartered as a municipal corporation by the New York State Legislature in 1892{{Cite book | date = 1974 | title = Governing Monroe County: A Staff Report to the Charter Study Commission | location = Rochester, New York | publisher = The Center for Governmental Research |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/21663493 | page = 15 | oclc = 21663493 }} and rechartered under New York's Municipal Home Rule Law in 1965.{{Cite book | date = 1974 | title = Governing Monroe County: A Staff Report to the Charter Study Commission | location = Rochester, New York | publisher = The Center for Governmental Research |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/21663493 | page = 25 | oclc = 21663493 }}

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 (1936, 1940, 1944) and Harry S. Truman (1948). 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.https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/

In recent years,{{when|date=September 2024}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2017/11/07/election-results-2017-monroe-county-sheriff-patrick-oflynn-todd-baxter/835804001/|title=Todd Baxter unseats Monroe County Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn|access-date=May 19, 2021|archive-date=May 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519161508/https://amp.democratandchronicle.com/amp/835804001|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url = https://www.wxxinews.org/post/bellos-win-makes-him-first-democrat-lead-monroe-county-decades|title = Bello's win makes him first Democrat to lead Monroe County in decades|date = November 6, 2019|access-date = May 19, 2021|archive-date = May 19, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210519161518/https://www.wxxinews.org/post/bellos-win-makes-him-first-democrat-lead-monroe-county-decades|url-status = live}}{{cite web|url = https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2019/11/06/democrats-flip-monroe-county-but-new-yorks-blue-wave-ebbs-slightly-1226399|title = Democrats flip Monroe County, but New York's blue wave ebbs slightly|website = Politico| date=November 6, 2019 |access-date = May 19, 2021|archive-date = May 19, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210519161509/https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2019/11/06/democrats-flip-monroe-county-but-new-yorks-blue-wave-ebbs-slightly-1226399|url-status = live}}{{cite web|url = https://rochesterbeacon.com/2020/11/04/democrats-poised-for-key-wins-locally/|title = Democrats poised for key wins locally|date = November 4, 2020|access-date = May 19, 2021|archive-date = May 6, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210506090652/https://rochesterbeacon.com/2020/11/04/democrats-poised-for-key-wins-locally/|url-status = live}}{{cite web|url=https://rochesterbeacon.com/2020/10/29/riding-the-blue-wave/|title=Riding the blue wave|date=October 29, 2020|access-date=May 19, 2021|archive-date=May 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506104028/https://rochesterbeacon.com/2020/10/29/riding-the-blue-wave/|url-status=live}}

{{PresHead|place=Monroe County|whig=yes|source={{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=October 23, 2018}}}}

{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|145,940|214,757|3,893|New York}}

{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|145,661|225,746|9,582|New York}}

{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|136,582|188,592|22,616|New York}}

{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|133,362|193,501|6,950|New York}}

{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|144,262|207,371|4,791|New York}}

{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|163,545|173,497|6,022|New York}}

{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|141,266|161,743|14,816|New York}}

{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|115,694|164,858|29,442|New York}}

{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|134,021|141,502|64,846|New York}}

{{PresRow|1988|Republican|155,271|153,650|2,545|New York}}

{{PresRow|1984|Republican|182,696|132,109|1,472|New York}}

{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|128,615|142,423|35,695|New York}}

{{PresRow|1976|Republican|167,303|134,739|1,392|New York}}

{{PresRow|1972|Republican|196,579|120,031|695|New York}}

{{PresRow|1968|Republican|143,233|141,437|12,085|New York}}

{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|80,099|205,226|257|New York}}

{{PresRow|1960|Republican|148,423|141,378|147|New York}}

{{PresRow|1956|Republican|183,747|91,161|23|New York}}

{{PresRow|1952|Republican|159,172|110,723|370|New York}}

{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|109,608|110,641|7,544|New York}}

{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|111,725|119,672|876|New York}}

{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|114,383|120,613|1,099|New York}}

{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|93,055|114,286|3,182|New York}}

{{PresRow|1932|Republican|95,964|83,208|6,788|New York}}

{{PresRow|1928|Republican|99,803|73,759|5,516|New York}}

{{PresRow|1924|Republican|80,577|28,956|31,595|New York}}

{{PresRow|1920|Republican|73,809|28,523|13,389|New York}}

{{PresRow|1916|Republican|39,393|21,782|2,688|New York}}

{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|16,880|17,863|18,834|New York}}

{{PresRow|1908|Republican|33,250|22,704|2,695|New York}}

{{PresRow|1904|Republican|30,772|16,544|3,737|New York}}

{{PresRow|1900|Republican|26,691|19,611|2,568|New York}}

{{PresRow|1896|Republican|26,288|17,158|1,372|New York}}

{{PresRow|1892|Republican|21,327|17,706|2,455|New York}}

{{PresRow|1888|Republican|21,650|16,677|1,361|New York}}

{{PresRow|1884|Republican|18,325|13,249|1,812|New York}}

{{PresRow|1880|Republican|17,102|13,742|327|New York}}

{{PresRow|1876|Republican|14,738|13,127|93|New York}}

{{PresRow|1872|Republican|13,033|9,261|9|New York}}

{{PresRow|1868|Republican|11,682|10,019|0|New York}}

{{PresRow|1864|Republican|10,203|9,107|0|New York}}

{{PresRow|1860|Republican|10,808|7,291|0|New York}}

{{PresRow|1856|Republican|7,584|4,683|3,070|New York}}

{{PresRow|1852|Whig|7,467|6,314|776|New York}}

{{PresRow|1848|Whig|6,539|1,443|4,708|New York}}

{{PresRow|1844|Whig|6,873|5,611|430|New York}}

{{PresRow|1840|Whig|6,468|4,835|77|New York}}

{{PresRow|1836|Whig|4,887|3,932|0|New York}}

{{PresRow|1832|Whig|4,906|3,459|0|New York}}

{{PresRow|1828|Whig|4,694|3,145|0|New York}}

|}

The county's executive branch is headed by the county executive, Adam Bello.{{cite web|url=http://www.monroecounty.gov/executive-index.php|title=Monroe County Executive website|access-date=June 22, 2008}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/11/05/monroe-county-executive-results-2019-democrat-adam-bello-cheryl-dinolfo/4171877002/|title=Bello defeats Dinolfo, becomes first Democratic Monroe County executive in nearly 30 years|last=Sharp|first=Brian|website=Rochester Democrat and Chronicle|language=en|access-date=November 6, 2019}} 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.{{Cite journal | date = 1986 | title = Monroe County Guide to Local Government | location = Rochester, New York | publisher = Monroe County League of Women Voters | page = 10 | oclc = 13907929 }} In 1983, the position was replaced by a county executive, directly elected by popular vote, with expanded powers (e.g., veto).{{Cite journal | date = 1986 | title = Monroe County Guide to Local Government | location = Rochester, New York | publisher = Monroe County League of Women Voters | page = 11 | oclc = 13907929 }} In 1993, the legislature enacted term limits for the executive office of 12 consecutive years to start in 1996.{{Cite news | date = November 3, 1993 | title = Monroe limits legislator terms | periodical = Democrat and Chronicle | location = Rochester, New York | page = 1A | issn = 1088-5153 }}

The Monroe County Sheriff's office (MCSO) 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.{{cite web |last1=NY |first1=Monroe County |title=About the Sheriff's Office {{!}} Monroe County, NY |url=https://www.monroecounty.gov/sheriff-about |website=www.monroecounty.gov |access-date=October 7, 2021 |language=en}} 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.{{Cite web |title=Monroe County Sheriff's Office Bureaus |url=https://www.monroecounty.gov/sheriff-bureaus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313231459/https://www.monroecounty.gov/sheriff-bureaus |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |access-date=March 13, 2022}}

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 (NAUMD).{{Cite web |date=August 10, 2011 |title=Top Score: Twenty programs receive NAUMD's 2011 Image of the Year and Public Safety Uniform Awards |url=https://www.madetomeasuremag.com/naumd-2011-image-of-the-year-and-public-safety-uniform-awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313233122/https://www.madetomeasuremag.com/naumd-2011-image-of-the-year-and-public-safety-uniform-awards |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |access-date=March 13, 2022 |language=en-US}}

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.{{as of?|date=September 2024}} 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 (Stephanie Aldersley, Karla Boyce, Calvin Lee, Jr., and Robert Colby) 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.

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

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:

After redistricting based on the 2020 United States census, Monroe County was split among four state senate districts:

After redistricting based on the 2020 United States census, Monroe County was split among eight state assembly districts:

Monroe County is part of

• The 7th Judicial District of the New York Supreme Court.
• The 4th Division of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division

Monroe County has eleven police forces, with residents of a number of towns relying on the county sheriff for law enforcement duties.

Monroe County is a home to a number of international businesses, including Eastman Kodak,{{cite web | title = Eastman Kodak Company information and related industry information from Hoover's | publisher = Hoover's, Inc. | url = http://www.hoovers.com/eastman-kodak/--ID__10500--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml | year = 2007 | access-date = April 25, 2007}} Paychex,{{cite web | title = Paychex, Inc. information and related industry information from Hoover's | publisher = Hoover's, Inc. | url = http://www.hoovers.com/paychex/--ID__14388--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml | year = 2007 | access-date = April 25, 2007}} and Pictometry International,{{cite journal | title = Business briefs | journal = Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | date = July 7, 2010| url = http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20107070338 | quote = Dick Kaplan announced his resignation as CEO of Pictometry International Corp., the Henrietta-based aerial imaging firm that he has built into one of the Rochester area's better-known companies.}} all of which make Monroe County their world headquarters. While no longer headquartered in Rochester, Xerox has its largest manufacturing facilities in Monroe County,{{cite web |title=2024 Annual Report |url=https://www.xerox.com/downloads/usa/en/corp/annual-report-xerox-2024.pdf |website=Xerox |publisher=Xerox |access-date=24 May 2025}} 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,{{cite web|title=Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. information and related industry information from Hoover's|publisher = Hoover's|url=http://www.hoovers.com/wegmans/--ID__40526--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml | year = 2007 | access-date = April 25, 2007}} Roberts Communications, Inc.,{{cite web | title = Roberts Communications, Inc. information and related industry information from Hoover's | publisher = Hoover's, Inc. | url = http://www.hoovers.com/Roberts-Communications-Inc/--HD__fhhshssft,src__dbi--/free-co-dnb_factsheet.xhtml | year = 2007 | access-date = April 25, 2007}} Holding Corp.,{{cite news | first = Matthew | last = Daneman | title = PAETEC cuts loss to $7.5M | date = August 6, 2010 | url = http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20108060311 | work = Democrat and Chronicle | access-date = August 11, 2010 | quote = PAETEC Holding Corp. is edging closer to — but still falling short of — profitability. The Perinton-based telecommunications company reported a loss of $7.5 million for the quarter that ended June 30, an improvement from the $16.5 million it lost in the same quarter a year earlier and from the $9.5 million it lost in the January–March quarter this year.}} and major fashion label Hickey Freeman.{{cite web | title = Hickey-Freeman Co., Inc. information and related industry information from Hoover's | publisher = Hoover's, Inc. | url = http://www.hoovers.com/Hickey-Freeman-Co.,-Inc./--HD__ffttfkxcy,src__dbi--/free-co-dnb_factsheet.xhtml | year = 2008 | access-date = February 8, 2008}}

{{further|Tech Valley}}

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.{{cite news|url=http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/money/business/2013/11/07/high-tech-rochester-adds-4-businesses/3466157/|title=High Tech Rochester adds 4 businesses|newspaper=Rochester Democrat and Chronicle|date=November 7, 2013|access-date=October 29, 2015}} 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.[http://www.imaging.org/ist/resources/education.cfm#university The Society for Imaging Science and Technology] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016181103/http://www.imaging.org/ist/resources/education.cfm#university |date=October 16, 2015 }}, The Society for Imaging Science and Technology website

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 (including its numerous hospitals) is the largest employer regionally with over 27,000 workers; Rochester Regional Health (parent company of Rochester General and Unity hospitals) is the second largest consisting of over 15,000. Wegmans is third with about 13,000 local employees.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rochesterbiz.com/Portals/0/Major%20employers%20in%20the%20Greater%20Rochester%20NY%20Region%20-%202017_1.pdf|title=Rochester's Largest Employers 2017|date=2017|website=Greater Rochester Enterprise|access-date=February 18, 2019}}

{{US Census population

| 1830 = 49855

| 1840 = 64902

| 1850 = 87650

| 1860 = 100648

| 1870 = 117868

| 1880 = 144903

| 1890 = 189586

| 1900 = 217854

| 1910 = 283212

| 1920 = 352034

| 1930 = 423881

| 1940 = 438230

| 1950 = 487632

| 1960 = 586387

| 1970 = 711917

| 1980 = 702238

| 1990 = 713968

| 2000 = 735343

| 2010 = 744344

| 2020 = 759443

| estyear = 2024

| estimate = 752202

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 5, 2015}}
1790-1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=January 5, 2015}} 1900-1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ny190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 5, 2015}}
1990-2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 5, 2015}}

2010-2020

}}

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 {{convert|1,155|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 330,247 housing units at an average density of {{convert|502|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. 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.{{cite web | title = MLA Language Map Data Center: Monroe County, New York | publisher = Modern Language Association | url = http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=36&county_id=55&mode=geographic&zip=&place_id=&cty_id=&ll=all&a=&ea=&order=r | year = 2007 | access-date = April 25, 2007}}

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% (209,584) are Catholic, 9.4% (71,670) are Protestant, 6.0% (46,140) are Nondenominational Christians, 2.4% (18,648) are Muslim, 1.2% (9,054) are Hindu, 1.1% (8,562) are Jewish, 0.6% (5,230) are Jehovah's Witnesses, 0.6% (4,912) are Mormon, 0.5% (4,474) are Buddhist, and 0.3% (2,595) are Eastern Orthodox.{{cite web |url= https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&y2=0&t=0&c=36055 |title= Monroe County, New York - County Membership Report (2020) |author=|publisher=The ARDA|access-date=January 29, 2024}}

The public school systems educates the overwhelming majority of Monroe County's children.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} The schools operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester or Roman Catholic religious orders educate the next largest{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} segment of children, although collectively, they are a distant second.

There are some 25 public school districts that serve Monroe County,{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36055_monroe/DC20SD_C36055.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Monroe County, NY|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=July 25, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st36_ny/schooldistrict_maps/c36055_monroe/DC20SD_C36055_SD2MS.txt Text list] 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 (Avon, Byron–Bergen, Caledonia–Mumford, Holley, Wayne, Williamson and Victor central school districts).{{Citation | date = 2017 | title = Facts and Figures on Monroe County School Districts | publisher = Monroe County School Boards Association | location = Brighton, New York | pages = back flap | oclc = 4891330 | url = http://www.monroe.edu/webpages/mcsba/publications.cfm?subpage=3337 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130106102906/http://www.monroe.edu/webpages/mcsba/publications.cfm?subpage=3337 | url-status = dead | archive-date = January 6, 2013 }}

There are three private schools that serve more than 200 students each:

• Allendale Columbia School, a college preparatory school in Pittsford
• The Harley School, a college preparatory school in Brighton
• Mary Cariola Children's Center serving children with multiple, complex disabilities in the city

There is one small, but historically significant school: Rochester School for the Deaf in the city

• 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 (or combined junior/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:

:

{{For|colleges and universities in the Greater Rochester Area|Rochester, New York metropolitan area#Colleges and universities}}

The county is home to nine colleges and universities:

• Bryant & Stratton College in Greece and Henrietta
• Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in the city
• Monroe Community College in Brighton with a campus in the city
• Nazareth University in Pittsford
• Roberts Wesleyan College in Chili
• Rochester Institute of Technology in Henrietta
• St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry in Pittsford
• St. John Fisher University in Pittsford
• SUNY Brockport (also known as the State University of New York Brockport) in Brockport with a campus in Rochester
• University of Rochester in Rochester

Additionally, three colleges maintain satellite campuses in Monroe County:

• The Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations maintains an office in the city{{Cite web| url = http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/regionaloffices/rochester/ | title = Rochester Regional Office | publisher = Cornell University | location = Ithaca, New York | access-date = December 21, 2011}}
• Empire State College maintains the Genesee Valley Learning Center in Irondequoit{{Cite web | url = http://www.esc.edu/learning-centers/genesee-valley/rochester/ | title = Rochester Location | publisher = Empire State College | location = Saratoga Springs, New York | access-date = December 21, 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120123000453/http://www.esc.edu/learning-centers/genesee-valley/rochester/ | archive-date = January 23, 2012 }}
• Ithaca College's Department of Physical Therapy leases part of the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School facility for teaching and research{{Cite web| url = http://www.ithaca.edu/hshp/depts/pt/rochester/ | title = Rochester Center | publisher = Ithaca College | location = Ithaca, New York | access-date = December 21, 2011 | quote = Ithaca College maintains a teaching and research facility in Rochester, NY on the campus of the Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School (CRCDS on South Goodman St. at Highland Ave.) and is affiliated with the University of Rochester and Strong Memorial Hospital.}}

Image:Black creek park.jpg

The following is a list of parks owned and maintained by Monroe County:{{cite web|url=https://www.monroecounty.gov/parks|title=Parks Department Monroe County, NY|publisher=MonroeCounty.gov|access-date=November 19, 2020}}

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}

• Abraham Lincoln Park
• Black Creek Park
• Churchville Park
• Devil's Cove Park
• Durand Eastman Park
• Ellison Park
• Genesee Valley Park
• Greece Canal Park
• Highland Park
• Irondequoit Bay Park West
• Lehigh Valley Trail Park
• Lucian Morin Park
• Mendon Ponds Park
• Northampton Park
• Oatka Creek Park
• Ontario Beach Park
• Powder Mills Park
• Seneca Park
• Seneca Park Zoo
• Tryon Park
• Webster Park

{{div col end}}

The following is a list of parks owned and maintained by New York State:{{cite web|url=https://parks.ny.gov/parks/park-results.aspx?r=0&c=Monroe&src=2|title=State Park Search Results|publisher=New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation|access-date=November 19, 2020}}

• Hamlin Beach State Park
• Irondequoit Bay State Marine Park

• 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

Image:Monroe County (New York) - Towns, Villages, and City.svg

{{div col|colwidth=12em}}

• Brighton
• Chili
• Clarkson
• East Rochester
• Gates
• Greece
• Hamlin
• Henrietta
• Irondequoit
• Mendon
• Ogden
• Parma
• Penfield
• Perinton
• Pittsford
• Riga
• Rush
• Sweden
• Webster
• Wheatland

{{div col end}}

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.

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Genesee Junction (Chili)
• Egypt (Perinton)
• Adams Basin (Ogden)
• Bushnell's Basin (Perinton)
• Gates Center (Gates)
• Garbutt (Scottsville)
• Mumford (Wheatland)
• Union Hill (Webster)
• Mendon Center (Mendon)
• Seabreeze (Irondequoit)
• Summerville (Irondequoit)
• Parma Center (Parma)
• Riga Center (Riga)
• Sweden Center (Sweden)
• West Webster (Webster)
• North Chili (Chili)
• Clarkson Corners (Clarkson)
• Clifton (Chili)
• Industry (Rush)
• Belcoda (Wheatland)
• Coldwater (Gates)
• Barnard (Greece)
• Beattie Beach (Greece)
• Braddock Bay (Greece)
• Braddock Heights (Greece)
• Elmgrove (Greece)
• Grandview Heights (Greece)
• Grand View Beach (Greece)
• North Greece (Greece)
• Ridgemont (Greece)
• West Greece (Greece)

{{div col end}}

{{Portal|New York (state)}}

• List of people from Rochester, New York
• Monroe County, New York Sheriff's Office
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Monroe County, New York

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book| publisher = Scrantom's| last = Federal Writers' Project. New York (State)| title = Rochester and Monroe County| location = Rochester, New York| access-date = November 11, 2013| year = 1937| url = https://archive.org/details/rochesterandmonr00federich}}
• Lee, Florence. [https://mcnygenealogy.com/book/pleasant-valley.pdf Pleasant Valley: An Early History of Monroe County and Region]. New York: Carlton Press, 1970.
• {{Cite book| publisher = The Boston History Company| last = Raines| first = Thomas |display-authors=etal| author-link = Thomas Raines

| title = Landmarks of Monroe County, New York| location = Boston| access-date = November 10, 2013| year = 1895| url = https://archive.org/details/landmarksofmonro00rain}}

• Sherwood, D. A. (2003). Water Resources of Monroe County, New York, Water Years 1997-99, with Emphasis on Water Quality in the Irondequoit Creek Basin : Atmospheric Deposition, Ground Water, Streamflow, Trends in Water Quality, and Chemical Loads to Irondequoit Bay [Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4221]. Ithaca, New York: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
• {{cite Q|Q114149636|p=665-72|chapter=Chapter I. Monroe County. |editor=Sullivan, James |editor2=Williams, Melvin E. |editor3=Conklin, Edwin P. |editor4=Fitzpatrick, Benedict}}

{{commons category}}

• [http://www.monroecounty.gov Official webpage]

{{Geographic Location

|Centre = Monroe County, New York

|North = Lake Ontario

|Northeast =

|East = Wayne County

|Southeast = Ontario County

|South = Livingston County

|Southwest = Genesee County

|West = Orleans County

|Northwest =

}}

{{Monroe County, New York}}

{{City of Rochester, NY}}

{{New York}}

{{James Monroe}}

{{Authority control}}

{{coord|43.30|-77.69|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-NY_source:UScensus1990}}

Category:Finger Lakes

Category:1821 establishments in New York (state)

Category:Populated places established in 1821

Category:Rochester metropolitan area, New York