Rochester, New York
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Rochester.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Rochester compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 209,720City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $46,628Incorporated place (ACS)41% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 58ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)42% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $120,600City limits (ACS)60% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,039City limits (ACS)23% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.1%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 20 min20% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 5522% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 748.4annualized per 100k · citywide24% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 3470.9annualized per 100k · citywide13% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 80°F7.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 21°F13.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 35.1 in7% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 19726% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Rochester with another city
Rochester, New York counts about 209,720 residents inside the city limits. Households here report a median income near $46,628; our housing-derived cost index is about 58 (among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs). Entry home prices around $120,600 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Snow-belt Upstate and transit-heavy downstate markets feel like different worlds. Pack for 80°F summer peaks; winter mornings often settle near 21°F. Commutes average near 20 minutes one-way, with walkability near 55/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 4.1% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates near 748.4 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Rochester is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Rochester with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Rochester city, 1600000US3663000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN360550000000003 (Monroe County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00014768 ROCHESTER GTR INTL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28