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Greater Rochester

Nine-County Regional Economy Overview

The Greater Rochester nine-county region, including Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates counties, houses a diverse range of industries and economic drivers. Learn more about each of the nine counties below:

Genesee County

58,204 people live in Genesee County, of whom 28,893 are employed. The largest industries are manufacturing (4,378 people), healthcare & social assistance (3,879 people), and retail trade (3,247 people), while the most common job groups are office & administrative support occupations (3,397 people), sales & related occupations (2,606 people), and management occupations (2,532 people). The county’s largest employers are Six Flags Darien Lake (amusement park) and United Medical Memorial Center (hospital). 

Livingston County

61,980 people live in Livingston County, of whom 28,923 are employed. The largest industries are educational services (4,535 people), healthcare & social assistance (4,074 people), and manufacturing (3,231 people), while the most common job groups are management occupations (3,136 people), office & administrative support occupations (3,024 people), and education, instruction, & library occupations (2,438 people). The county’s largest employers are Livonia Central School District (school district), Arc GLOW (vocational rehabilitation services), Kraft foods (food production & manufacturing), Seneca Foods Corp (food production & manufacturing), and Livingston Correctional Facility (state correctional institution). 

Monroe County

756,406 people live in Monroe County, of whom 373,267 are employed. The largest industries are healthcare & social assistance (65,988 people), educational services (53,932 people), and retail trade (40,248 people), while the most common job groups are office & administrative support occupations (41,981 people), management occupations (41,814 people), and sales & related occupations (34,456 people). The county’s largest employers are the University of Rochester (higher education), Sutherland Global Services (business management consulting), and Carestream Health Inc (medical imaging equipment & systems). 

Ontario County

112,288 people live in Ontario County, of whom 55,310 are employed. The largest industries are healthcare & social assistance (8,813 people), educational services (7,369 people), and retail trade (6,253 people), while the most common job groups are management occupations (6,674 people), office & administrative support occupations (5,536 people), and sales & related occupations (5,439 people). The county’s largest employers are Eastman Kodak Co (printer manufacturing), Finger Lakes Race Track (horse racing), Canandaigua VA Medical Center (hospital), Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic (hospital), GW Lisk Co Inc (industrial valve manufacturing), and Coopervision Inc (optical goods wholesale).

Orleans County

40,148 people live in Orleans County, of whom 17,800 are employed. The largest industries are manufacturing (2,694 people), healthcare & social assistance (2,540 people), and retail trade (2,089 people), while the largest job groups are office & administrative support occupations (2,083 people), production occupations (1,780 people), and management occupations (1,765 people). The county’s largest employers are Orleans Correctional Facility (state correctional institution), Albion Central School District (school district), Associated Brands (food production and manufacturing), Brunner International Inc (brakes manufacturing), and Walmart Supercenter (department store).

Seneca County

33,651 people live in Seneca County, of whom 14,900 are employed. The largest industries are healthcare & social assistance (2,148 people), manufacturing (2,028 people), and educational services (1,859 people), while the most common job groups are office & administrative support occupations (1,777 people), management occupations (1,639 people), and education, instruction, & library occupations (1,108 people). The county’s largest employers are Del Lago Resort & Casino (casino), ITT Goulds Pumps Inc (pumps wholesale), Five Points Correctional (state correctional institution), and Rist Transport Ltd (trucking).

Wayne County

91,324 people live in Wayne County, of whom 43,800 are employed. The largest industries are manufacturing (6,877 people), healthcare & social assistance (6,563 people), and retail trade (5,174 people), while the most common job groups are management occupations (4,948 people), office & administrative support occupations (4,800 people), and production occupations (4,077 people). The county’s largest employers are Newark-Wayne Community Hospital (hospital), Garlock Sealing Technologies (packaging and sealing device manufacturing), IEC Electronics Corp (printed and etched circuit manufacturing), and Wegmans (grocery retail).

Wyoming County

40,338 people live in Wyoming County, of whom 18,100 are employed. The largest industries are healthcare & social assistance (2,427 people), manufacturing (2,266 people), and retail trade (2,005 people), while the most common job groups are office & administrative support occupations (1,824 people), management occupations (1,737 people), and sales & related occupations (1,607 people). The county’s largest employers are Attica Correctional Facility (state correctional institution) and Wyoming Correctional Facility (state correctional institution).

Yates County

24,713 people live in Yates County, of whom 10,807 are employed. The largest industries are manufacturing (1,561 people), healthcare & social assistance (1,353 people), and retail trade (1,323 people), while the most common job groups are management occupations (1,284 people), sales & related occupations (1,064 people), and construction & extraction occupations (977 people). The county’s largest employers are Penn Yan Central School District (school district), Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital (hospital), and Norton Chapel at Keuka College (church).

Regional Overview

Most of the largest employers are located in Monroe County – Carestream Health, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester Institute of Technology, Sutherland Global Services, Unity Hospital of Rochester, University of Rochester Medical Center, and Xerox. However, other area counties boast large employers, too, such as Arc GLOW, Attica Correctional Facility, and SUNY Geneseo, as well as Tops, Wegmans, and Wal-Mart, which all have numerous locations across the region.

With over 86,000 employees, government is the largest employment sector, including public school teachers and administrators, firefighters, police and corrections officers, and SUNY employees. Healthcare is a close second, with 81,000 employees. Though manufacturing has declined, a trend which is expected to continue, the sector still employs 12% of the region’s workforce; food manufacturing (e.g. wineries, breweries) has added 700 employees between 2011 and mid-2016, marking a 46% increase.

In the counties that are farther away from Rochester’s urban core, the largest employers tend to remain the same – healthcare and education, as well as manufacturing – but the largest economic drivers are agribusiness and tourism. 21% of the state’s total farmland lies in the region, producing milk, apples, grapes, and wine, while tourism booms due to the region’s lakes, parks, and wineries.

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