Economic Development

Contact Information

Judith A. Seil

Manager

e-mail

Economic Development Division

8100 City Place

50 W. Main St.

Rochester, NY

14614

Phone: 585 753-2000

Fax: 585 753-2028

“It’s good business to do business in Monroe County!”

Monroe County Economic Development’s goals are your goals. A return on investment, the creation of jobs and the retention of jobs.

Through private, state, federal and county financial resources and technical assistance, the Economic Development Division supports businesses, developers, units of local government and major county facilities like the airport and landfill in economic development activities. The division provides administrative support to the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA), the Monroe County Empire Zone and the Monroe County Industrial Development Corporation (MCIDC).

Division staff provide for community leadership and outreach by coordinating and guiding development to achieve maximum public benefit, seeking ways to address major economic issues facing the county and developing strong working relationships with other economic development agencies in the region. Other services include a business outreach program, loan packaging services, administration of business financing programs, technical assistance to businesses interested in undertaking expansion or relocating to the area, site analysis and identification, coordination of project reviews and permits, implementation of tax incentives and other programs and coordination of job training/education resources. Monroe County Economic Development connects you to the most advantageous financing.

It isn’t just the 54 golf courses host to three U.S. Opens, a PGA championship, a U.S. Senior Open, an annual LPGA Rochester International and the Ryder Cup, nor is it the Genesee River and its boats and canoes, or Lake Ontario with its swimming and sailing, or the more than 11,000 acres of parks. It’s the attitude of successful partnering and the business friendly infrastructure fostered by Monroe County Economic Development that should bring you and your business to the Greater Rochester area.

Fast Facts About Monroe County

Location

Monroe County and the City of Rochester are located on the south shore of Lake Ontario, in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York. The area (663.21 square miles) is accessible through the Greater Rochester International Airport, Amtrak and Conrail, the New York State Thruway, and the New York State Erie Canal.

General

Map of New York showing cities within 400 miles of Monroe County.

MSA population—1,098,201 (2000)
Monroe County population—735,343 (2000)
City of Rochester population—219,773 (2000)
Median household income—$56,900 (Rochester, NY MSA 2003)
Unemployment rate—5.8% (Monroe County 2003)
Civilian labor force—386,400 (May 2003)
Number of business establishments—16,828 (2001)

Healthcare

Number of hospitals—7 (Monroe County 2003)
Monthly individual average cost for a HMO—$161.68 (Monroe County 2003)
Monthly family average cost for a HMO—$432.95 (Monroe County 2003)

Education

Population enrolled in grades 1 through 12—63.1% (Monroe County, age 3 and over 2000)
Percentage of high school graduates or higher—84.9% (Monroe County, 25 years and over 2000)
Percentage with Bachelor’s degree or higher—31.2% (Monroe County, 25 years and over 2000)
Population enrolled in college or graduate school—26.3% (Monroe County, age 3 and over 2000)
Number of two and four/year colleges/universities—8

Housing

Total housing units—304,388 (Monroe County 2000)
Median value of owner-occupied units—$98,700 (Monroe County 2000)
Median monthly owner costs with a mortgage—$1,122 (Monroe County 2000)
Median monthly owner costs without a mortgage—$406 (Monroe County 2000)
Median monthly gross rent—$612 (Monroe County 2000)

Transportation

Mean travel time to work—19.6 minutes (Monroe County, workers age 16 and over 2000)
Passengers using Regional Transportation System annually—14,197,257 (2003)
Passengers using Greater Rochester International Airport annually—1,150,976 (2001)
Number of air transportation providers—16

Weather

Average summer temperature—71° (July)
Average winter temperature—32° (February)
Average yearly snowfall—100.3" (Greater Rochester International Airport)
Rochester/Monroe County is a four-season community

Recreation/Cultural Opportunities

Golf is big in Monroe County with approximately 39 golf courses (29 public, 10 private) playing host to U.S. Opens, the Ryder Cup, PGA Championships and an annual LPGA tournament.
Extensive park system equaling a total of 21 recreational facilities covering nearly 12,000 acres of land.
Fresh water activities such as boating, fishing and swimming are available on Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes, Genesee River, and the Erie Canal.
Professional sports teams include the Rochester Red Wings (baseball), Raging Rhinos (soccer), Rochester Americans (hockey), Rochester Brigade (arena football), Rochester Rattlers (outdoor lacrosse), Rochester Knighthawks (indoor lacrosse) and St. John Fisher College is home to the Buffalo Bills Training Camp.
Cultural highlights include the Susan B. Anthony House, George Eastman House and International Museum of Photography and Film, Strong Museum, Rochester Museum and Science Center/ Strasenburgh Planetarium, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Garth Fagan Dance Company, GeVa Theatre, Hochstein Music School and the Memorial Art Gallery.
Nearby attractions: Finger Lakes Region (30 minutes to 1 hour away), Niagara Falls (1 hour), Watkins Glenn International Racetrack (1 hour), Finger Lakes Race Track (horse racing-30 minutes), Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres (1 hour), Syracuse Orangemen (1 hour).
More than 140 different types of festivals and art shows such as the Lilac Festival in May, Corn Hill Arts Festival in July, the Park Avenue Festival in August, and the Clothesline Art Festival in September, and the High Falls Film Festival in the fall.

Visit the RochesterBiz website for more information about doing business in the Greater Rochester Region.

Learn more about the Greater Rochester Enterprise.

Business Incentive Programs Overview

Monroe County Economic Development connects your business to the most advantageous financing programs and incentives. Please call 585 428-2970 or 1-888-842-1009 to speak directly with an economic development specialist to see how Monroe County Economic Development can assist your business.

Monroe County Industrial Development Corporation (MCIDC) Programs

The Monroe County Industrial Development Corporation (MCIDC) is a not-for-profit agency that has been in existence for over 30 years. MCIDC’s primary mission is to encourage job creation through economic development in Monroe County. MCIDC is staffed by members of the Monroe County Department of Economic Development.

MCIDC administers the following programs:

SBA 504 Program—The SBA 504 Program provides long-term financing for the purchase of land, buildings, and equipment at a fixed-rate of interest.
GreatRate Interest Subsidy—The GreatRate Interest Subsidy Program provides businesses with an interest subsidy due on a fixed rate loan or a capital lease used to purchase machinery or equipment, if the company meets its job creation requirement. The subsidy will be 3% or if the equipment is purchased locally, the subsidy will be 4%. (Rate cannot be subsidized below 1%.)
GreatRebate Program—The GreatRebate Program provides businesses with a rebate on equipment purchases of at least $50.000, if the company meets its job creation requirement. The rebate will be $4,000 or if the equipment is purchased locally, the rebate will be $5,000.
Loan Fund—The revolving loan fund is used to assist expanding businesses with “gap” financing for fixed assets and working capital.

The staff of MCIDC is eager to meet with you to determine if the project you are considering qualifies for any of these programs.

County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA)

County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) offers assistance for industrial and non-industrial projects through the issuance of tax-exempt industrial revenue bonds, taxable industrial revenue bonds, tax-exempt civic facility bonds, and sale/leaseback transactions.

COMIDA administers the JobsPlus tax abatement as well as the Enhanced JobsPlus tax abatement and the EquiPlus Program.

Monroe County Empire Zone

The Monroe County Empire Zone offers special incentives to certified businesses located in the Monroe County Empire Zone.

Monroe County Foreign Trade Zone

The Monroe County Foreign Trade Zone is one of the most flexible methods of handling domestic and imported merchandise.

University Technology Seed Fund

The University Technology Seed Fund seeks to facilitate commercialization of new inventions and discoveries which offer high potential for commercial success.

Monroe Fund

The Monroe Fund is a private venture fund that generally invest in startup, early-stage and turnaround businesses in and around Monroe County.

Contact us to see why it’s good business to do business in Monroe County!

United States Census 2000 Data for Monroe County

To find out more about Census 2000, or if you would like to find out Census 2000 information for a specific address, see the links below.

Online Census Information Services

Monroe County, New York