Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Rochester run?
Rochester’s city government spent $108.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $3,305 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($2.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Rochester is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Rochester School District
Rochester’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Rochester, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $20,774 per pupil, $12,665 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
New Hampshire districts overall: 64% local, 28% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $3,305 per resident a year, or $9.05 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 66% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Rochester runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget.
No comparison for Rochester yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Rochester’s 2022 operating figures are mostly a Census estimate, so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2023; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Rochester reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $3,279 · 2023: $3,305.
full-time in March 2025, up from 745 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $5,334 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.91% of the home’s value, vs 1.66% across New Hampshire.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Rochester’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Rochester’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Rochester →
Who’s in charge in Rochester
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Rochester’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on rochesternh.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 40 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (32,869).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
How Rochester voted in 2024
Official results for Rochester’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.1%8,881 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat47.6%8,264 votesOthers: 1.3% (233 votes).
Most votes in Rochester: Donald J Trump
Strafford County: Harris 55.3%, Trump 43.2% · New Hampshire: Harris 50.7%, Trump 47.9%
of Rochester’s 26,807 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New Hampshire: 74%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Rochester: Kelly Ayotte
Strafford County: Craig 49.9%, Ayotte 47.8% · New Hampshire: Ayotte 53.6%, Craig 44.3%
Most votes in the district: Chris Pappas
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Rochester, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | 51.1% | 47.6% | 1.3% | 17,378 |
| Strafford County | 43.2% | 55.3% | 1.5% | 76,688 |
| New Hampshire | 47.9% | 50.7% | 1.5% | 826,189 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Rochester sends 8 representatives to the New Hampshire House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: rochesternh.net ↗
- 2New Hampshire HouseRochester is split between 6 districts
- 3New Hampshire SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Hampshire
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Rochester compares with the towns next door
Rochester’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $698 to $744 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Strafford | $698 | $6,086 |
| Barrington | $744 | $7,121 |
| Farmington | estimate | $4,723 |
| Dover | estimate | $8,249 |
| Rochester | estimate | $5,334 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Rochester’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Rochester’s government
How much does Rochester spend per resident?
About $3,305 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Rochester?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,334 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.91% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.66% across New Hampshire. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see rochesternh.net.
Who runs Rochester’s government?
See rochesternh.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Rochester yet.
How did Rochester vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 51.1%, Kamala D Harris 47.6% (17,378 votes, official results). Strafford County: Harris 55.3%, Trump 43.2%. New Hampshire: Harris 50.7%, Trump 47.9%.
How many people work for Rochester?
829 full-time and 174 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.7M (about $56.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Rochester in the state legislature?
Rochester is split among 6 State House districts, so your address decides. The New Hampshire Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 6 (James Gray). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Rochester’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts), NH RSA 662:5; legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →