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Economic Impact

Wallingford & Greater New Haven

Choate Rosemary Hall has had a long and productive relationship with the Town of Wallingford and surrounding communities. The Choate campus includes several properties of historic significance and its 450 acres provides much of the remaining open space in Wallingford. Faculty, staff, and students are active participants in community organizations; many of Choate’s most popular student organizations were established to be of service to the town and surrounding areas.

Wallingford Town Hall

In carrying out its functions as a not-for-profit boarding and day school, Choate receives funds in the form of tuition, gifts, and grants, which the school expends on faculty and staff salaries, purchases, and contracts for services. These expenditures, as well as categories such as student and visitor spending, have a significant positive impact on Wallingford and the greater New Haven area. Following are the results which quantify the school’s positive economic impact on the area reflecting data from the 2006-2007 school year.

School Payroll

Choate is the seventh largest employer in Wallingford , with 395 faculty and staff, 205 of whom live in the town. An additional 57 people are employed by ARAMARK (food service) and 52 by OneSource (custodial services). Following is total gross compensation, exclusive of retirement benefits.

Faculty/Staff Salaries

Wallingford residents: $9,405,000
Total Connecticut residents: $18,126,000

Auxiliary Services Salaries

OneSource (housekeeping) payroll:
Wallingford/Meriden residents: $1,425,685

ARAMARK (food services) payroll:
Wallingford/Meriden residents: $555,296
Non-Wallingford/Meriden residents: $454,076

School Purchases

Wallingford vendors: $3,224,113
Total Connecticut vendors: $19,155,128

ARAMARK (food services) purchases:
Wallingford/Meriden vendors: $30,000
Total Connecticut vendors: $1,069,241

Capital Projects expenditures 1994-2003

Wallingford and Greater New Haven : $47,000,000

Taxes, utilities, and permit fees

Paid to town of Wallingford : $1,150,159
Total paid to Connecticut : $2,498,544

Visitor Spending

More than 2,000 parents and alumni and other visitors to the school patronize Wallingford-area restaurants and overnight accommodations throughout the year, as do the nearly 1,000 families with prospective students who visit the school each year.