Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0Fewer people are out of work in Rochester (2.7%) than in 75% of U.S. towns
The trip to work takes 26 minutes on average, against 27 across New Hampshire and 26 nationally. Rochester grades B+ for jobs and income and B for walkability. About one in five stay in Rochester for work; outside it, Portsmouth is the main destination (14%, 19 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Inside Rochester’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Rochester is better than 66% of U.S. towns, #72 of 126 in New Hampshire. Unemployment is its strongest input; job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 50% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Rochester could be anywhere from B− to A−.
In and out of Rochester on a workday
On a workday 12,973 residents head out to work, 2,964 work right here, and 8,610 people come in from elsewhere.
About 29,000 people are in Rochester on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.73 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Out of Rochester to work: where people go
Where Rochester clocks in
14% of workers
11% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Inside Rochester’s 11,574 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rochester, 2014 → 2024: 11,039 → 11,574. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Rochester’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Rochester: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rochester workers work from home, vs 17% across New Hampshire. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 15,804 commuters (the 12% who work from home are left out). Across New Hampshire: 87% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Rochester goes to work
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Few in Rochester walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Rochester is more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns, #41 of 126 in New Hampshire. Both inputs place Rochester near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 17,925 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.0% of Rochester households have no vehicle (New Hampshire 4.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Rochester’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,255 U.S. towns of 24,000 to 46,000, Rochester comes 676th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 58 | Merrimack NH | 29,699 | $127K | 3.0% | 1.9% | 17% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 159 | Salem NH | 31,868 | $110K | 5.0% | 2.8% | 18% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 333 | Londonderry NH | 27,844 | $133K | 2.7% | 5.0% | 14% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 674 | Temple Terrace FL | 27,075 | $69K | 9.0% | 3.7% | 6% | B+ |
| 675 | Land O' Lakes FL | 38,910 | $99K | 8.3% | 5.5% | 5% | B+ |
| 676 | Rochester NH | 33,716 | $81K | 8.3% | 2.7% | 19% | B+ |
| 677 | Marlborough MA | 42,772 | $92K | 9.6% | 5.5% | 16% | B+ |
| 678 | Lexington SC | 25,729 | $87K | 7.4% | 5.2% | 11% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,255 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 25% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Rochester, the top three, the last and three more from New Hampshire.
Bordering towns draw 13% of Rochester’s workers
The biggest share goes to Dover (11%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rochester workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | – | B+ | B | 26 min | $80,836 |
| Barrington | 2% | A− | C− | 30 min | $110,323 |
| Farmington | under 3% | C | C− | 29 min | $66,943 |
| Dover | 11% | B+ | A− | 23 min | $94,829 |
| Strafford | under 3% | B | C− | 36 min | $122,105 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Rochester’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Rochester: questions
What is the median household income in Rochester?
$80,836 (±$3,248) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,031 across New Hampshire and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rochester?
8.3%, against 7.2% across New Hampshire and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rochester?
26 minutes each way on average, against 27 across New Hampshire and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rochester work?
19% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Portsmouth (14%, 19 mi), Dover (11%, 9 mi), Somersworth (5%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Rochester walkable?
Rochester is more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.4 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rochester without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rochester, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rochester
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.