Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 77,539, settled in 1990. Public schools that outperform most of Michigan.
Yes, by almost any measure. Rochester Hills earns an A+, 29th among Michigan's 697 graded towns. Its schools outperform 96% of the state's, residents are healthier than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household earns $121K. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $466K, 6.1 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income. 61% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Rochester Hills, above both Michigan’s towns (26%) and U.S. towns (29%). Rochester Hills is home to Rochester University.
Where Rochester Hills beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hampton Elementary School | PK–5 | 567 |
| Long Meadow Elementary School | PK–5 | 528 |
| North Hill Elementary School | PK–5 | 512 |
9.2% of the town is conserved land, across 30 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Rochester Hills is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Meadow Brook Farms is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 61,766 in 1990, 76,300 in 2020. The archive holds 21 old photos and papers going back to 2003 and 8 maps from 1908 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rochester Hills, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Rochester Hills.
Rochester Hills has schools in the top 5% of Michigan and has less tooth loss than most of Michigan, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Michigan.
At 6.1 years of the Detroit metro’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $466K) costs more against local pay than in 95% of Michigan towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $4,540, against $2,904 across Michigan, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Rochester Hills’ median rent is $1,644 a month. The typical Rochester Hills home is worth about $466,000, up 3.3% in a year, 77% above the Michigan typical home.
| Rochester Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,644 a month | $1,045 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 41% | 45% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 84% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #14 of the 699 Michigan towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $466K.
Its public schools are run by the Rochester Community School District. Three of its 26 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avondale Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 639 | B− |
| Rochester High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 1,682 | A |
| Avondale Gifted and Talented EducationTop results in townGrades 2–8 | Grades 2–8 | 381 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
59 miles of trail in 30 parks and preserves. The trail density in Rochester Hills is 1.8 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Borden Park, 140 acres with 1.7 miles of trail.
| Rochester Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.2% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bloomer Park | 6.8 mi | 111 |
| 2. Clinton River Oaks Park | 4.6 mi | 91 |
| 3. Innovation Hills Park | 3.6 mi | 114 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Michigan is tooth loss: 5.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.2% statewide.
20% of Rochester Hills adults have been diagnosed with depression. Rochester Hills beats the Michigan average on 25 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 28% of Rochester Hills adults have obesity.
| Rochester Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 27% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Rochester Hills | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.4% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.8% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 88% of U.S. communities. Since 2004, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rochester Hills.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 637 to 545 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 49 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Rochester Hills has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
23.6% of workers work from home, against 13.5% across Michigan.
Most working residents leave Rochester Hills for work: only 8% work in town. 24% of workers work from home in Rochester Hills. The top destinations are Troy (12%), Auburn Hills (10%) and Detroit (8%).
| Rochester Hills | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 24% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $121,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rochester Hills. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaFord Field
23 mi Stadium & arenaComerica Park
29 mi LakeLake Saint Clair
25 mi MuseumThe Henry Ford1.8M visitors a year
23 mi TheatreFox Theatre
22 mi MuseumDetroit Institute of ArtsFord Field: Unknown, CC BY 2.5 · Comerica Park: City of Detroit, Public domain · Lake Saint Clair: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · The Henry Ford: Alvintrusty, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fox Theatre: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Detroit Institute of Arts: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
10 within 15 miles of the center of Rochester Hills
About 9 of every 100 Rochester Hills residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
2 places in Rochester Hills on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Rochester Hills.
City in Michigan, United States
Rochester Hills is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. A northern suburb of Detroit, Rochester Hills is located about 25 miles (40 km) north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 76,300. The area was first settled by European Americans in 1817 and organized as Avon Township in 1835. The city of Rochester was incorporated in 1967, while the remaining area of Avon Township was incorporated and renamed the city of Rochester Hills in 1984.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Rochester Hills.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Hills | #29 | A+ | C− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Rochester | #4 | A+ | C− | A | A+ | A+ |
| Oakland Township | #16 | A+ | D | A+ | A+ | A+ |
| Auburn Hills | #603 | C− | C− | C− | D | A− |
| Shelby Township | #207 | B+ | C− | B+ | A− | B+ |
| Troy | #98 | A | D | B | A+ | A+ |
| Orion Township | #24 | A+ | C− | A | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Rochester Hills grades A+ overall, better than 95% of U.S. towns and #29 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
10 notable people were born here, including Brad Keselowski and Alec Martinez.
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