Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rochester grades D− overall, ranked 737th of 745 in New York, mostly because of schools and safety. Its public schools trail 98% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. It reports more crime per resident than 94% of U.S. towns, including 1,171 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 124 places on the National Register. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Rochester, where New York’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 34 of New York’s 1,213 towns score lower on health. Its National Register listings include Susan B. Anthony House and George Eastman House.
Where Rochester beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Susan B. Anthony House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| School 33-John James Audubon | PK–6 | 980 |
| Rochester Prep Charter School 2 | K–8 | 827 |
| Rochester Prep Charter School 3 | K–8 | 826 |
Susan B. Anthony House is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 124 National Register listings are more than in 99% of New York towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,001 in 1810, a peak of 332,488 in 1950, 211,328 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1822 and 7 maps from 1895 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Rochester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rochester. Close and well known come first.
in town MuseumGeorge Eastman Museum
in town Stadium & arenaBlue Cross Arena
in town MuseumThe National Museum of Play
23 mi MountainCumorah
in town Stadium & arenaMarina Auto Stadium
in town MuseumMemorial Art Gallery230K visitors a yearGeorge Eastman Museum: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blue Cross Arena: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers), CC BY-SA 3.0 · The National Museum of Play: Misc, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Marina Auto Stadium: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers), CC BY-SA 2.5 · Memorial Art Gallery: DanielPenfield, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rochester, 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 Rochester.
Rochester draws workers from Greece and beyond and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports more crime than Gates and its other graded neighbors.
50 miles of trail in 62 parks and preserves. Rochester’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile. Durand Eastman Park, at 797 acres with 13.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Durand Eastman Park | 13.8 mi | 797 |
| 2. Seneca Park | 6.3 mi | 209 |
| 3. Cobb's Hill Park | 5.1 mi | 141 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 5 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D−, Brighton highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by the Rochester City School District. Three of its 64 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| School 33-John James AudubonLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 980 | D− |
| Rochester Prep Charter School 1Largest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 1,405 | B |
| Rochester Academy Charter SchoolTop results in townGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 829 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Gates (C−) to Irondequoit (C+). Reported crimes fell from 12,041 to 6,869 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Rochester is 5.7 per 1,000 residents. Rochester reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less. The property crime rate in Rochester is 27.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Rochester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 27.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
138,565 jobs are based in Rochester, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 19.3 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
42% of working residents work locally in Rochester. The top destinations are Henrietta (8%), Greece (5%) and Brighton (4%).
| Rochester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 42% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 13% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median property tax bill is $3,152, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Rochester home is worth about $240,000, up 4.7% in a year, 54% below the New York typical home. 38% of Rochester households own their home.
| Rochester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 38% | 75% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 49% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 4,731 U.S. towns with household incomes like Rochester’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. All 5 graded neighbors score healthier than its C−, from Gates (B) to Brighton (A).
Among 755 New York towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who worry about having enough food than Rochester. Rochester beats the New York average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. Among 755 New York towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Rochester.
| Rochester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 25% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 36% |
| What stands out | Rochester | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.7% | 7.7% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 31.4% | 37.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16.7% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Rochester Gtr Intl Ap weather station, 5 miles away, records that 102 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Rochester has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81° and January nights drop to 18°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rochester.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
11 within 15 miles of the center of Rochester
About 9 of every 100 Rochester residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
3 colleges in town.
124 places in Rochester on the National Register of Historic Places.
27 notable people were born in Rochester.
City in New York, United States
Rochester is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in New York, with a population of 206,108 as of the 2025 Census estimate. The Rochester metropolitan area in Western New York has an estimated 1.05 million residents and is the 54th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Throughout its history, Rochester has acquired several nicknames based on local industries; it has been known as "the Flour City" and "the Flower City" for its dual role in flour production and floriculture, and as the "World's Image Center" for its association with film, optics, and photography. The city was one of the United States' first boomtowns, ini…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Rochester.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Gates (C) is closest. Brighton next door grades higher for schools (A− to Rochester’s D−) and lower for cost of living (D to C+).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | #737 | D− | C+ | D | D− | C− |
| Irondequoit | #354 | B | C+ | C+ | B | B+ |
| Greece | #440 | C+ | C | C+ | B− | B+ |
| Brighton | #272 | B+ | D | C+ | A− | A |
| Chili | #171 | A− | C | — | B | A− |
| Gates | #574 | C | C | C− | C | B |
| North Gates | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Chili reports no FBI crime data of its own. North Gates isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Rochester with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rochester grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #737 of 745 in New York. It grades C− for health, D for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($76,284 across the Rochester, NY metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
27 notable people were born here, including John Lithgow and Ryan Lochte.
