Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of New York, located along Lake Ontario's southern shore. As of 2025, the population was 750,506, 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, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state.
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 (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]]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county's total area is , of which is land and (52%) 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
- Wayne County - east
- Ontario County - southeast
- Livingston County - south
- Orleans County - west
- Genesee County - southwest
Major highways
- 20px New York State Route 15
- 20px New York State Route 15A
- 20px New York State Route 18
- 20px New York State Route 19
- 20px New York State Route 31
- 20px New York State Route 31F
- 20px New York State Route 33
- 20px New York State Route 33A
- 20px New York State Route 36
- 20px New York State Route 64
- 20px New York State Route 65
- 20px New York State Route 96
- 22px New York State Route 104
- 22px New York State Route 153
- 22px New York State Route 250
- 22px New York State Route 251
- 22px New York State Route 252
- 22px New York State Route 259
- 22px New York State Route 286
- 22px New York State Route 390
- 22px New York State Route 404
- 22px New York State Route 441
- 22px New York State Route 531
- 22px New York State Route 590
- 26px Lake Ontario State Parkway
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 (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.
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 18-11 in favor of the Democratic Party. This matches a broader national trend of increased Democratic success in suburban areas.
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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 (e.g., veto). In 1993, the legislature enacted term limits for the executive office of 12 consecutive years to start in 1996.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Monroe county executives
|-
! Name !! Title !! Party !! Term
|-
| Clarence A. Smith || county manager || |Republican || January 1, 1936 – December 31, 1959
|-
| Gordon A. Howe || county manager || |Republican || January 1, 1960 – December 31, 1971
|-
| Lucien A. Morin || county manager<br />county executive || |Republican || January 18, 1972 – December 31, 1982<br />January 1, 1983 – December 31, 1986
|-
| Thomas R. Frey || county executive || |Democratic || January 1, 1987 – December 31, 1991
|-
| Robert L. King || county executive || |Republican || January 1, 1992 – January 14, 1995
|-
| John D. "Jack" Doyle || county executive || |Republican || January 14, 1995 – December 31, 2003
|-
| Maggie Brooks || county executive || |Republican || January 1, 2004 – December 31, 2015
|-
| Cheryl L. Dinolfo || county executive || |Republican || January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2019
|-
| Adam J. Bello || county executive || |Democratic || January 1, 2020 –
|}
Sheriff
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. 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 (NAUMD).
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.
! District
! Area
! Legislator
! Party
! Residence
! Tenure began
|-
| 1
| Parma, Greece
| G. Blake Keller
| Republican
| Parma
| 2021
|-
| 2
| Hamlin, Clarkson, Sweden
| Jackie Smith, Assistant Republican Leader
| Republican
| Clarkson
| 2020
|-
| 3
| Chili
| Marvin Stepherson
| Democratic
| Chili
| 2026
|-
| 4
| Gates, Greece
| Virginia McIntyre
| Republican
| Gates
| 2024
|-
| 5
| Henrietta, Mendon, Pittsford, Rush, Perinton
| Richard B. Milne
| Republican
| Mendon
| 2022
|-
| 6
| Greece
| Sean McCabe, Republican Leader
| Republican
| Greece
| 2022
|-
| 7
| Greece
| Kirk Morris
| Republican
| Greece
| 2022
|-
| 8
| Webster
| Mark C. Johns
| Republican
| Webster
| 2022
|-
| 9
| Penfield
| Paul Dondorfer, Deputy Republican Leader
| Republican
| Penfield
| 2020
|-
| 10
| Brighton, Pittsford
| Howard Maffucci
| |Democratic
| Pittsford
| 2018
|-
| 11
| Perinton, East Rochester
| John B. Baynes
| Democratic
| Perinton
| 2020
|-
| 12
| Henrietta, Riga, Wheatland
| Nazish Jeffery
| Democratic
| Henrietta
| 2026
|-
| 13
| Henrietta, Pittsford
| Michael Yudelson, Majority Leader
| Democratic
| Henrietta
| 2020
|-
| 14
| Brighton, Penfield
| Susan Hughes-Smith
| Democratic
| Brighton
| 2022
|-
| 15
| Penfield, Webster
| Frank Ciardi
| Republican
| Webster
| 2024
|-
| 16
| Irondequoit, Rochester
| Dave Long
| Democratic
| Irondequoit
| 2022
|-
| 17
| Irondequoit, Rochester
| Rachel Barnhart
| Democratic
| Rochester
| 2019
|-
| 18
| Perinton
| Lystra Bartholomew McCoy
| Democratic
| Perinton
| 2024
|-
| 19
| Greece
| Tom Sinclair
| Republican
| Greece
| 2024
|-
| 20
| Greece, Ogden, Sweden, Chili
| Robert Colby
| Republican
| Ogden
| 2020
|-
| 21
| Rochester, Irondequoit
| Santos Cruz
| Democratic
| Rochester
| 2024
|-
| 22
| Rochester
| Mercedes Vazquez-Simmons, Vice President
| Democratic
| Rochester
| 2022
|-
| 23
| Rochester
| Linda Hasman
| Democratic
| Rochester
| 2020
|-
| 24
| Rochester, Brighton
| Albert Blankley, Assistant Majority Leader
| Democratic
| Rochester
| 2022
|-
| 25
| Rochester
| Carolyn Delvecchio Hoffman, Assistant Majority Leader
| Democratic
| Rochester
| 2022
|-
| 26
| Rochester, Greece, Irondequoit
| Yversha M. Román, President of the Legislature
| Democratic
| Rochester
| 2020
|-
| 27
| Rochester, Gates
| Rose Bonnick
| Democratic
| Rochester
| 2024
|-
| 28
| Rochester
| Ricky Frazier
| Democratic
| Rochester
| 2022
|-
| 29
| Rochester
| William Burgess, Deputy Majority Leader
| Democratic
| Rochester
| 2022
|}
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:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|-
! District !! Areas of Monroe County !! Congressperson !! Party !! First took office !! Residence
|-
| New York's 25th congressional district || All of Monroe County|| Joseph D. Morelle || |Democratic || 2018 || Irondequoit, 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:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|-
! District !! Areas of Monroe County !! Senator !! Party !! First took office !! Residence
|-
| 54 || Chili, Mendon, Rush, Wheatland, Riga|| Pam Helming || |Republican || 2017 || Canandaigua, Ontario County
|-
| 55 || Irondequoit, Penfield, Perinton, Pittsford, East Rochester, Webster, East part of the City of Rochester|| Samra Brouk || |Democratic || 2021 || Rochester, Monroe County
|-
| 56 || Greece, Gates, Brighton, Henrietta, West part of the City of Rochester
|| Jeremy Cooney || |Democratic || 2021 || Rochester, Monroe County
|-
| 62 ||Clarkson, Hamlin, Parma, Ogden, Sweden|| Robert Ortt || |Republican || 2015 || North 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:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|-
! District !! Areas of Monroe County !! Assemblyperson !! Party !! First took office !! Residence
|-
| 130 || Webster || Brian Manktelow || |Republican || 2019 || Lyons, Wayne County
|-
| 133 || Rush, Wheatland|| Andrea Bailey || |Republican || 2025 || Geneseo, Livingston County
|-
| 134 || Greece, Ogden, Parma|| Josh Jensen || |Republican || 2021 || Greece, Monroe County
|-
| 135 || East Rochester, Mendon, Penfield, Perinton, Pittsford
|| Jennifer Lunsford || |Democratic || 2021 || Webster, Monroe County
|-
| 136 || Brighton, Irondequoit, northwest portion and easternmost tip of the City of Rochester|| Sarah Clark || |Democratic || 2021 || Rochester, Monroe County
|-
| 137 || Gates, center of the City of Rochester|| Demond Meeks || |Democratic || 2021 || Rochester, Monroe County
|-
| 138 || Chili, Henrietta, Riga, parts of the City of Rochester|| Harry B. Bronson || |Democratic || 2011 || Rochester, Monroe County
|-
| 139 || Clarkson, Hamlin, Sweden|| Stephen M. Hawley || |Republican || 2006 || Batavia, Genesee County
|}
Courts
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
Law enforcement
Monroe County has eleven police forces, with residents of a number of towns relying on the county sheriff for law enforcement duties.
{| class="wikitable"
|Agency Name
|Location
|Website
|DCJS Accreditation
|CALEA Accreditation
|Relative Size
|-
|Brighton Police Department
|2300 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14618
|<nowiki>https://www.townofbrighton.org/198/Police-Department</nowiki>
|Yes
|No
|Medium
|-
|Brockport Police Department
|1 Clinton St, Brockport, NY 14420
|<nowiki>https://www.brockportny.org/departments-services/police</nowiki>
|Yes
|No
|Small
|-
|East Rochester Police Department
|317 Main St, East Rochester, NY 14445
|<nowiki>https://www.eastrochester.org/Police-Department</nowiki>
|Yes
|No
|Small
|-
|Fairport Police Department
|31 S Main St, Fairport, NY 14450
|<nowiki>https://fairportny.com/police-department</nowiki>
|Yes
|No
|Small
|-
|Gates Police Department
|1605 Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY 14624
|<nowiki>https://www.townofgates.org/departments/police-department/</nowiki>
|Yes
|No
|Medium
|-
|Greece Police Department
|6 Vince Tofany Blvd, Greece, NY 14612
|<nowiki>https://www.greecepolice.org/</nowiki>
|Yes
|Yes
|Large
|-
|Irondequoit Police Department
|1300 Titus Ave, Rochester, NY 14617
|<nowiki>https://www.irondequoit.org/government/police-department/</nowiki>
|Yes
|No
|Medium
|-
|Monroe County Sheriff's Office
|130 S Plymouth Ave, Rochester, NY 14614
|<nowiki>https://www.monroecounty.gov/sheriff</nowiki>
|Yes
|No
|Largest in the county
|-
|Ogden Police Department
|269 Ogden Center Rd, Spencerport, NY 14559
|<nowiki>https://www.ogdenny.com/161/Police-Department</nowiki>
|Yes
|No
|Small
|-
|Rochester Police Department
|185 Exchange Blvd, Rochester, NY 14614
|<nowiki>https://www.cityofrochester.gov/rpd/</nowiki>
|Yes
|Yes
|Largest municipal agency
|-
|Webster Police Department
|1000 Ridge Rd, Webster, NY 14580
|<nowiki>https://www.ci.webster.ny.us/150/Police</nowiki>
|Yes
|No
|Medium
|}
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 (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.