Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rochester’s midpoint 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 homes lived in by their owners 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.
Half of commuters travel less than 20 miles. The top destinations are Iowa City (29%), Cedar Rapids (15%) and Tipton (9%).
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The range runs from 13° on a January night to 84° on a July afternoon, with about 29 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
49% of Rochester’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 13%. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in the town than in 66% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among adults in Rochester, 41% have obesity. The town 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.
