Living in Rochester, NY
Mid-size city in New York
Rochester is a mid-size city in New York, home to about 210,000 people, with 494,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Rochester a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $240k and rents for $1,900 a month
- Mild summers: highs around 80°F
- Low natural disaster risk: 5 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Great outdoors: plenty of parks
👎 Cons
- Cloudier than most places
- Higher taxes: about $3,080 state income tax per resident, 2.55% property tax
- Smaller job market: about 494,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer family amenities than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Rochester ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Rochester: common questions
What is the cost of living in Rochester?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $240k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,900 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 97, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Rochester?
New York collects about $3,080 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 2.55% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Rochester safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (2.0× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Rochester?
Rochester has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 36°F and summer days around 80°F, with roughly 102″ of snow a year.
Does Rochester get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding and cold waves: 5 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.32 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Rochester?
The nearest major airport is ROC, about 4 mi away.
How Rochester scores
Each bar compares Rochester with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Rochester right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.