Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rochester’s median age is 59.7 years, above both Iowa’s towns (38.7 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Of the 141 Iowa towns we compare, none has a higher share of households owning their home than Rochester. William Green House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Rochester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Rochester beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 2 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rochester is unincorporated, so Cedar County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Rochester.
Most working residents leave Rochester for work: only 0% work in town. The top destinations are Iowa City (29%), Cedar Rapids (15%) and Tipton (9%). Half commute less than 20 miles.
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Rochester has cold winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 13° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
81% of adults had a checkup this year in Rochester, above both the Iowa town median (78%) and the median of U.S. towns (79%). 5.6% of Rochester adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Rochester beats the Iowa average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Rochester | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 78% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Rochester | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.2% | 11.6% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Rochester; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Rochester residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where Rochester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Iowa, United States
Rochester is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Rochester Township, Cedar County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 142.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rochester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
