Part One: St. John Fisher College as an Enterprise

As a major institution in its own right, St. John Fisher College contributes to the economic vitality of Monroe County, the Rochester area and New York state in several ways: as a major employer; a buyer of goods and services from businesses located in Monroe County, the Rochester area and elsewhere in New York; and as a sponsor of construction projects. This part of the report assesses Fisher’s impact as an enterprise, including the economic impact of off-campus spending by Fisher students and by visitors to the College. It also assesses Fisher’s impact on New York state and local government revenues.

• Employment at Fisher
• The Impact of Purchasing and Construction
• Measuring the Multiplier Effect
• The Impact of Student and Visitor Spending
• Adding it All Up
• Contributing to State and Local Revenues

Employment at Fisher

In the fall of 2018, St. John Fisher College directly employed a total of 891 people (excluding student employees), of whom approximately 65 percent worked full-time. In fiscal year 2019, Fisher paid a total of $47.4 million in salaries and wages to these employees.

As shown in Figure 1, between the fall of 2005 and the fall of 2018, total non-student employment at Fisher increased by 36.2 percent.

Figure 1: A bar graph of total non-student employment at Fisher, fall 2005 – fall 2018

In addition to these regular full- and part-time employees, Fisher employed 449 students in a variety of part-time, on-campus jobs during the fall of 2018, with wages totaling approximately $836,900 in fiscal year 2019.

Where Fisher Employees Live

In the fall of 2018 (as shown in Figure 2), 715 Fisher non-student employees (80.2 percent of all non-student employees of St. John Fisher College) lived in Monroe County. An additional 136 (15.3 percent of Fisher’s non-student employees) lived elsewhere in the Rochester area, and 36 (4.0 percent) lived elsewhere in New York.

Figure 2: A pie chart showing Fisher non-student employees by place of residence, fall 2018

In fiscal year 2019, salaries and wages paid by Fisher to its non-student employees who live in Monroe County totaled nearly $38.8 million (81.8 percent of Fisher’s total non-student payroll). An additional $6.6 million (13.9 percent of Fisher’s total non-student payroll) was paid to non-student employees who live elsewhere in the Rochester area, and nearly $1.8 million (3.8 percent) was paid to those who live elsewhere in New York.

Diversity and Quality of Fisher Employment

St. John Fisher College offers a variety of high-quality jobs. In the fall of 2018 (as shown in Figure 3), faculty accounted for 50.4 percent of total non-student employment at Fisher; executive, administrative, managerial and other professionals accounted for 24.1 percent; clerical and secretarial staff for 8.1 percent; service and maintenance staff for 8.1 percent; technical and paraprofessional staff for 7.7 percent; and skilled crafts staff for 1.6 percent.

Figure 3: A pie chart showing Fisher non-student employment by occupational category, fall 2018

Fisher also provides a wide range of benefits to its employees. They include:

• Health, dental and vision insurance
• Life, accident and disability insurance
• Flexible spending accounts
• Tax-deferred retirement plans

In addition, Fisher provides its employees with training and education opportunities. During the 2018-19 academic year, Fisher provided nearly $1.1 million in education benefits to their employees and members of their families through the College’s undergraduate and graduate tuition remission programs.

The impact of purchasing and construction

In addition to the people it employs directly, St. John Fisher College supports the economies of Monroe County, the Rochester area and New York state through its purchases of goods and services from local businesses, and through construction and renovation of its facilities.

Purchasing goods and services

In fiscal year 2019, St. John Fisher College spent $35.0 million on the purchase of goods and services (other than construction). Of this total (as shown in Figure 4), nearly $11.9 million (33.9 percent of total purchasing) was spent on goods and services provided by businesses located in Monroe County, an additional nearly $1.5 million (4.2 percent) was spent on goods and services provided by businesses located elsewhere in the Rochester area, and $4.3 million (12.3 percent) was spent on purchases from businesses located elsewhere in New York.¹

Figure 4: A pie chart showing Fisher purchasing by location of vendor, FY 2019 (in $000s)

Leading categories of goods and services purchased from businesses in New York in fiscal year 2019 include:

• Professional and technical services
• Employee health insurance
• Utilities
• Travel and meals
• Building services and facilities support

Using the IMPLAN input-output economic modeling system – a modeling tool commonly used in economic impact analyses – we estimate that in fiscal year 2019, Fisher’s purchases of goods and services directly supported 78 jobs in Monroe County, 11 additional jobs elsewhere in the Rochester area, and 18 additional jobs elsewhere in New York.

Investing in campus facilities

In addition to generating jobs and economic activity through its purchases of goods and services, St. John Fisher College also does so through its investments in its campus facilities. As shown in Figure 5, between fiscal year 2012 and fiscal year 2019, Fisher invested a total of more than $78.2 million in facility construction and renovation.

Figure 5: A bar graph of Fisher construction spending, FY 2012 – FY 2019 (in $ millions)

In fiscal year 2019 (as shown in Figure 6), Fisher spent $14.8 million on construction and renovation of facilities, of which nearly $13.2 million (89.0 percent of total construction spending) was paid to contractors and other vendors located in Monroe County, and an additional $1.0 million (7.0 percent of total construction spending) was paid to contractors and other vendors located elsewhere in the Rochester area and New York.

Figure 6: A pie chart of Fisher construction spending by location of contractor, FY 2019 (in $000s)

Using IMPLAN, we estimate that in fiscal year 2019, Fisher’s spending on construction and renovation of facilities directly supported 48 jobs with companies in construction and related industries in Monroe County, and 5 additional jobs with companies in construction and related industries located elsewhere in the Rochester area and New York.

Recently completed major projects include:

• The Upper Quad Hall, a new residence hall for upper classmen that includes 155 double rooms, lounge areas and study rooms. The $9.0 million building was completed in the fall of 2019.
• The Hermance Family Chapel of St. Basil the Great, a new 9,000-square-foot, $4.0 million chapel that opened in the fall of 2017.
• A $2.0 million upgrade of the Skalny Science Center over the summers of 2018 and 2019. The improvement project focused on the renovation, modernization and improved layout of biology labs and enlargement of the space used for faculty-mentored undergraduate research work. The project also included renovations to the Center’s greenhouse, a redesigned classroom, and the addition of a microscopy room. The spaces are fully accessible, have improved safety standards, and feature a new HVAC system.
• Renovation of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Athletic Center. This $600,000 improvement project, completed in the summer of 2019, included the addition of a multi-purpose floor inside the field house that features a three-lane track, basketball courts, volleyball courts, and ample area for practices, training and recreation. The area was further enhanced in early 2020 with recognition banners for each conference championship and NCAA appearance for each team.

Over the next five years from fiscal year 2020 to fiscal year 2024, Fisher estimates that it will spend a total of nearly $50.8 million on construction and renovation projects.

The impact of these and other on-campus investments goes beyond the job and business opportunities they create for local residents and contractors. Over time, they enhance the College’s capacity to fulfill its mission.

Measuring the multiplier effect

The jobs and economic activity generated by St. John Fisher College’s spending on payroll, purchasing and construction are not limited to the direct impacts cited above. Using a tool of economic analysis called an input-output model, we can also estimate the indirect and induced (or “multiplier”) effects of spending by Fisher. For example:

• Some of the money that Fisher pays to its local suppliers and contractors is used to buy goods and services from other local companies, which in turn buy goods and services from other local businesses (the indirect effect).

• Fisher employees, and the employees of its suppliers and contractors, similarly use part of their earning to buy a wide variety of goods and services, such as housing, utilities, food, and other personal services, from local businesses; the employees of those businesses do the same (the induced effect).

Using IMPLAN, we estimate that in fiscal year 2019, spending by Fisher on non-student payroll, purchasing and construction indirectly accounted for:

• 308 jobs in Monroe County, with earnings totaling nearly $15.2 million
• Nearly $46.8 million in countywide economic output

Statewide (including the Rochester area), Fisher’s spending indirectly accounted for:

• 358 jobs in New York, with earnings totaling nearly $17.8 million
• Nearly $55.1 million in statewide economic output

Combining these indirect and induced effects with the direct effects cited previously, we estimate that in fiscal year 2019, spending by St. John Fisher College on non-student payroll, purchasing and construction directly and indirectly accounted for:

• 1,326 jobs in Monroe County, with earnings totaling $71.9 million
• $118.8 million in countywide economic output

In the Rochester area (including Monroe County), Fisher’s spending directly and indirectly accounted for:

• 1,366 jobs in the Rochester area, with earnings totaling $73.5 million
• Nearly $124.6 million in regional economic output
  Statewide (including the Rochester area), Fisher’s spending directly and indirectly accounted for:
• 1,409 jobs in New York, with earnings totaling $76.8 million
• Nearly $133.3 million in statewide economic output

Tables 1, 2 and 3 summarize the total impact of Fisher’s spending on non-student payroll, purchasing and construction in Monroe County, the Rochester area (including Monroe County) and New York (including the Rochester area).

Table 1

Direct, indirect and induced impacts of Fisher’s spending in Monroe County, FY 2019 (wages and output in $000s)

Table 2

Direct, indirect and induced impacts of Fisher’s spending in the Rochester area, FY 2019 (wages and output in $000s)

Table 3

Direct, indirect and induced impacts of Fisher’s spending in New York, FY 2019 (wages and output in $000s)

The Impact of Student and Visitor Spending

The Impact of Student Spending

The impact of student spending is determined in part by whether students live on campus or off-campus in Monroe County and the surrounding Rochester area. During the fall of 2018, approximately 48 percent of all undergraduate students lived in College-owned housing, while virtually all graduate students lived off-campus in Monroe County and the surrounding Rochester area.

In analyzing the impact of off-campus student spending in Monroe County, this report counts only spending by full-time undergraduate and graduate students from outside of Monroe County; at the regional level, only spending by full-time undergraduate and graduate students from outside of the Rochester area; and at the state level, only spending by full-time undergraduate and graduate students from outside of New York. While relatively conservative, this approach helps ensure that we are not claiming as part of Fisher’s impact spending that could still have occurred within Monroe County or elsewhere in New York even if these students had not been attending St. John Fisher College.

Based on data provided by St. John Fisher College on the average annual cost of living for students – on housing, food, transportation, books, supplies and personal expenses – we estimate that during fiscal year 2019, off-campus spending by full-time Fisher students from outside of Monroe County totaled nearly $11.6 million, most of which was spent in Monroe County. Using IMPLAN, we estimate that this spending directly and indirectly accounted:

• 108 jobs in Monroe County, with earnings totaling $3.4 million
• Nearly $12.5 million in countywide economic output

We similarly estimate that in fiscal year 2019, off-campus spending by full-time Fisher students from outside of the Rochester area totaled $8.9 million. Using IMPLAN, we estimate that this spending directly and indirectly accounted for:

• 83 jobs in Monroe County, with earnings totaling $2.6 million
• $9.6 million in countywide economic output

For students who came to Fisher from outside of New York, we estimate that during fiscal year 2019, off-campus spending in Monroe County totaled nearly $867,200. Using IMPLAN, we estimate that this spending directly and indirectly accounted for:

• 8 jobs in Monroe County, with earnings totaling $251,380
• $945,743 in countywide economic output

The Impact of Visitor Spending

St. John Fisher College also attracts out-of-town visitors to its campus who then spend money within the local economy. As shown in Table 4, Fisher estimates that during the 2018-19 academic year, approximately 86,239 people visited the Fisher campus – for admission visits, commencement, alumni events, athletic events, the Buffalo Bills Training Camp and other purposes.

Table 4: Visitors to Fisher by purpose of visit, 2018-19 academic year

Of these visitors, Fisher estimates that approximately 46,663 (54.1 percent of all visitors) came from outside Monroe County, including 23,381 (27.1 percent of all visitors) from elsewhere in the Rochester area, 19,908 (23.1 percent) from elsewhere in New York, and 3,374 (3.9 percent) from outside of New York.

Using data on visitor spending compiled by the Finger Lake Tourism Alliance, we estimate that during fiscal year 2019, off-campus spending in Monroe County by visitors to Fisher from outside of Monroe County – on hotel accommodations, food, shopping, entertainment and transportation – totaled nearly $6.0 million. Using IMPLAN, we estimate that this spending directly and indirectly accounted for:

• 87 jobs in Monroe County, with earnings totaling $2.8 million
• Nearly $7.8 million in countywide economic output

We similarly estimate that in fiscal year 2019, off-campus spending in Monroe County by visitors to Fisher from outside of the Rochester area totaled nearly $4.1 million. Using IMPLAN, we estimate that this spending directly and indirectly accounted for:

• 58 jobs in Monroe County, with earnings totaling $1.9 million
• $5.3 million in countywide economic output

For visitors to Fisher who came from outside of New York, we estimate that during fiscal year 2019, off-campus spending in Monroe County totaled approximately $995,780. Using IMPLAN, we estimate that this spending directly and indirectly accounted for:

• 14 jobs in Monroe County, with earnings totaling $472,520
• $1.3 million in countywide economic output

Adding it All Up

Combining the impact of St. John Fisher College’s spending on non-student payroll, purchasing and construction with the impact of off-campus student and visitor spending, we estimate that in fiscal year 2019, Fisher directly and indirectly accounted for:

• 1,521 jobs in Monroe County, with earnings totaling nearly $78.2 million
• Nearly $139.1 million in countywide economic output

In the Rochester area (including Monroe County), we estimate that spending by Fisher, its students and visitors to the campus directly and indirectly accounted for:

• 1,507 jobs in the Rochester area, with earnings totaling nearly $78.1 million
• $139.5 million in regional economic output

Statewide (including the Rochester area), we estimate that spending by Fisher, its students and visitors to the campus directly and indirectly accounted for:

• 1,431 jobs in New York, with earnings totaling $77.5 million
• Nearly $135.6 million in statewide economic output

These combined impacts in Monroe County, the Rochester area (including Monroe County) and New York (including the Rochester area) are summarized below in Tables 5, 6 and 7.

Table 5

Total impact of spending by Fisher, students and visitors in Monroe County

FY 2019 (wages and output in $000s)

Table 6

Total impact of spending by Fisher, students and visitors in the Rochester area

FY 2019 (wages and output in $000s)[2]

Table 7

Total impact of spending by Fisher, students and visitors in New York, FY 2019 (wages and output in $000s)

Contributing to state and local revenues

Despite its tax-exempt status, St. John Fisher College contributes to state and local government finances in a variety of ways. As shown in Table 8, in fiscal year 2019, state and local taxes and fees paid by Fisher included:

• Nearly $2.1 million in state and local income taxes withheld from the salaries and wages of Fisher employees;
• $30,651 in unemployment insurance taxes;
• $84,249 in water and sewer fees; and
• $5,744 in other taxes and fees to state and local governments.

Overall, in fiscal year 2019, St. John Fisher College directly accounted for $2.2 million in state and local government revenues.

Table 8: Taxes and fees paid by Fisher to New York state and local governments, FY 2019

¹For purposes of calculating the economic impact of St. John Fisher College spending, employee health insurance is treated as a purchased service, allocated according to the employee’s place of residence.

²As might be expected, the impact of the College's spending on payroll, purchasing and construction is somewhat greater at the regional level than at the Monroe County level, and greater at the state level than at the regional level. However, since in analyzing the impact of student spending we include only spending by students from outside Monroe County (at the county level), from outside the greater Rochester area (at the regional level) or from outside New York state (at the state level), the impact of student spending is greater at the county level than at the regional and state levels. As a result, the combined impacts of College, student and visitor spending shown in Tables 5, 6 and 7 are slightly greater at the county level than at the regional and state levels.