An overview of the economic and community impact of St. John Fisher University on Monroe County, the Greater Rochester Area, and New York State.
Executive Summary
St. John Fisher University is an independent, non-profit educational institution in the Catholic tradition located in Pittsford, New York (about seven miles east of Rochester). This report assesses, and where possible quantifies, St. John Fisher University’s economic and community impact on Monroe County, in the greater Rochester area, and throughout New York state.
A Growing Impact
In the years ahead, Fisher’s growing impact in the Rochester area and throughout the state is likely to be even greater than it is today.
Increasing numbers of Fisher alumni living and working in NY
Implementing programs responsive to the needs of communities
Developing new degrees aligned with the evolving economy
Investing in construction and renovation that creates jobs
Addressing community needs
Ensuring that Rochester is a vibrant place to live and work
Serving as a critical anchor institution in Rochester, NY
In the fall of 2022, St. John Fisher University employed 889 people (excluding students), of whom 64 percent worked full-time. Salaries and wages paid to Fisher employees in fiscal year 2023 totaled $49.4 million.
In the fall of 2022, 842 Fisher employees (94.7 percent of all non-student employees) lived in the Rochester area. In this report, the Rochester area is defined by the following counties: Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne, and Wyoming.
In fiscal year 2023, Fisher’s purchases of goods and services from Rochester-area businesses and its investment in construction and renovation of campus facilities directly supported 132 jobs with Rochester-area suppliers and contractors, with salaries and wages totaling $8.9 million.
Despite its tax-exempt status, St. John Fisher University directly accounted for nearly $2.4 million in state and local government revenues in fiscal year 2023.
In the fall of 2022, 3,621 students (including 2,629 undergraduate and 992 graduate students) were enrolled at St. John Fisher University – an increase of 2.8 percent since the fall of 2005.
Nearly 93 percent of all students enrolled at Fisher in the fall of 2022 were residents of New York, including nearly 50 percent who were residents of the Rochester area.
In fiscal year 2023, Fisher provided $44.8 million in University-funded financial aid to undergraduate students, including $20.3 million to students from the Rochester area.
Fisher offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in fields that are well aligned with some of New York’s leading industries and occupations, such as computer science, data analytics, sustainability, finance, nursing, and pharmacy.
As of the summer of 2023, 78.2 percent of all Fisher alumni lived in New York, including 18,756 Fisher alumni (56.6 percent of all alumni) who lived in the Rochester area.
As of 2021, an estimated 6.8 percent of all Monroe County residents who had earned a bachelor’s or higher degree were graduates of St. John Fisher University.
During the 2022-23 academic year, 2,654 Fisher students spent a combined total of 446,238 hours working as volunteers in a wide range of community service programs in the Rochester area. Many of these students work on a regular basis with one of the more than 30 schools, health care institutions, and community organizations with which Fisher has ongoing partnerships.
Volunteer community service at Fisher is not limited to students. During the 2022-23 academic year, Fisher reports that 285 faculty members and staff provided approximately 24,000 hours of volunteer work.
Based on state-by-state estimates of the value of an hour of volunteer work published by Independent Sector, Appleseed estimates the value of volunteer community service work performed by Fisher students, faculty, and staff totaled nearly $16.8 million in 2022.
Fisher students also engage with Rochester-area communities through community-engaged learning – courses that combine classroom learning with hands-on experience in the community. During the 2022-23 academic year, 982 Fisher students participated in 56 courses with a community-engaged learning component.
In addition to the work that Fisher students do as volunteers, undergraduate and graduate students in Fisher’s education, nursing, mental health counseling, and pharmacy programs are required as part of their professional training to gain practical, real-world work experience. During the 2022-23 academic year, Fisher students in these fields reported a total of 573,060 hours of work experience in schools, hospitals, community health and mental health centers, pharmacies, and other community settings.
Using the data from Independent Sector cited above, we estimate that the value of services provided by Fisher students as part of their professional training in these fields totaled nearly $20.5 million in 2022.
