Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Rochester Township’s subject grades are an A for incomes and health; the weakest is a C− for walkability. 76% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Rochester Township, above both Minnesota’s towns (33%) and U.S. towns (29%). On cost of living, just 35 of Minnesota’s 573 towns do worse. On civic life, just 52 of Minnesota’s 572 towns do worse. George Stoppel Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places. Rochester Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Rochester Township beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Rochester Township | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5% | 8.9% |
George Stoppel Farmstead1,629 counted in 2010 and 2,088 in 2020; an estimated 2,280 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Rochester Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,424 in 1860, 121,395 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1883 and 3 maps from 1955 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rochester Township, and how to reach them.
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 Township.
Among adults in Rochester Township, 9.6% smoke cigarettes. Two figures for adults in the town: 13% report frequent mental distress, 9.7% report frequent physical distress.
| Rochester Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Rochester Township | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 11.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 2013, Rochester Township has lost 69 jobs, to 142 in 2023. Among 274 Minnesota towns, just 10 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Rochester Township. The town’s average commute stands at 54 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 4 miles away.
| Rochester Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 54 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $246,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 1.3% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
One declared disaster, in 2007, has brought federal aid to Rochester Township households. Compared with 72% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is higher. Since 1978, Rochester Township has seen 2 flood insurance claims paid out. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 66% come from inland flooding and 15% from cold waves.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The range runs from 6° on a January night to 81° on a July afternoon, with about 52 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Trails total 2.2 miles in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Mayowood Corridor County Park, at 72 acres. The density of trails for Rochester Township comes to 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Rochester Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mayowood Corridor County Park | 0.6 mi | 72 |
| 2. Skyline Raceway | — | 11 |
| 3. Izaak Walton Wetlands | 0.1 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Rochester Township
About 3 of every 100 Rochester Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Rochester Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Minnesota, United States
Rochester is a city in and the county seat of Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. The population was 121,395 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 124,292 in 2025, making it the third-most populous city in Minnesota. The Rochester metropolitan area has an estimated 230,000 residents. The city is the home and birthplace of Mayo Clinic. Rochester first developed as a stagecoach stop between Dubuque, Iowa, and Saint Paul, Minnesota. With the creation of the Mayo Clinic in 1864, Rochester became a national center for healthcare, as well as a hub for regional agriculture. For higher education nee…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Rochester Township.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Township | — | — | C− | — | B− | A |
| Rochester | #188 | B | C+ | C+ | B− | A− |
| Salem Township | — | — | C+ | — | A+ | A |
| High Forest Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marion Township | #157 | B+ | B | — | B− | B+ |
Rochester Township and Salem Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Rochester Township, Salem Township and Marion Township report no FBI crime data of their own. High Forest Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Rochester Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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−.