Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. New Rochelle grades B overall, 336th among New York's 745 graded towns. Few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Residents are healthier than 87% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $941K, 9.5 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 13 places on the National Register. New Rochelle’s typical home value is $941,000, where New York’s towns sit at $361,000 and U.S. towns at $332,000. New Rochelle is home to Iona University.
Where New Rochelle beats most towns.
Thomas Paine Cottage is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 692 in 1790, 79,726 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1688 and 7 maps from 1897 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far New Rochelle is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 3%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around New Rochelle. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaYankee Stadium
Big draw14 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw15 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife StadiumCentral Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Madison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Yankee Stadium: Matt Boulton, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in New Rochelle, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in New Rochelle.
New Rochelle has more 90° days than almost anywhere else in New York, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New York and trails Scarsdale and its other neighbors on schools.
At 9.5 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home (about $941K) costs more against local pay than in 92% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
New Rochelle’s median rent is $1,917 a month. Typical home values rose 7.5% in the year to September 2026. 54% of households own their home in New Rochelle.
| New Rochelle | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,917 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 54% | 75% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 51% | 49% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Each of its 6 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its B−, Scarsdale highest at A+.
Its public schools are run by the New Rochelle City School District. Two of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaac E Young Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,122 | B− |
| New Rochelle High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,047 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
15 miles of trail in 24 parks and preserves. The trail density in New Rochelle is 1.2 miles per square mile. Nature Study Woods, at 104 acres with 2.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| New Rochelle | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.2% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ward Acres Park | 3.6 mi | 68 |
| 2. Nature Study Woods | 2.9 mi | 104 |
| 3. Larchmont Reservoir | 1.5 mi | 48 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
15% of New Rochelle adults have been diagnosed with depression. New Rochelle beats the New York average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 27% of New Rochelle adults have obesity.
| New Rochelle | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 21% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | New Rochelle | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.8% | 6% |
| Fewer smokers | 9.3% | 11.3% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.5% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
752 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 111 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 752 flood insurance claims have been paid out in New Rochelle.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave New Rochelle for work: only 14% work in town. The top destinations are New York (45%), White Plains (3%) and Mamaroneck (3%). Half commute less than 11 miles.
| New Rochelle | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 18% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Dobbs Ferry-ardsley weather station, 6 miles away, records that about 19 days a year reach 90°, the highest of 2,222 New York places with climate records. The Dobbs Ferry-ardsley weather station, 6 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 189 days, the #2 highest of 2,222 New York places with climate records.
New Rochelle has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 26° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
61 within 15 miles of the center of New Rochelle
About 9 of every 100 New Rochelle residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
13 places in New Rochelle on the National Register of Historic Places.
58 notable people were born in New Rochelle.
City in New York, United States
New Rochelle ( rə-SHEL) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is a suburb outside of New York City, located about 17 miles (27 km) from Midtown Manhattan. The city had a population of 79,726 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the seventh-largest city and 22nd-most-populous municipality in New York.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with New Rochelle.
All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B; Pelham Manor (B+) is closest.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Rochelle | #336 | B | D− | B− | B− | A |
| Eastchester | #16 | A+ | D− | A | A | A+ |
| Scarsdale | #3 | A+ | D− | A | A+ | A+ |
| Mamaroneck | #94 | A | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Pelham | #68 | A | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Pelham | #18 | A+ | D− | A | A | A+ |
| Pelham Manor | #212 | B+ | D | C− | A | A+ |
| Larchmont | #70 | A | D− | B+ | A | A+ |
Mamaroneck and Pelham report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare New Rochelle with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. New Rochelle grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #336 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health, B− for safety and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
58 notable people were born here, including Jay Leno and Matt Dillon.
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