Homes in Wolcott cost about a year of local pay, but renters are stretched more than prices suggest
More affordable than 73% of U.S. towns. Up 8.1% in a year, 57% below the New York typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Rochester, NY metro area ($76K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
In dollars, Wolcott is one of the least expensive places in New York. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Rochester-area incomes are lower too ($76K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 2.87% of a home’s value a year (New York: 1.55%), and 61% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $225Ktypical home, 57% below the New York typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,320a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 97prices across the Rochester metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 87)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 1.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$76K, Rochester-area income
- 10%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 61%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across New York: 52%Census 2020–24
- 23%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Wolcott, in brief
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $2,601, under the New York median of $6,582, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 2.87% a year, against 1.55% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $540 a month. Property taxes ↓
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $1,320 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Wolcott pay a median of $663. Renting ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Wolcott’s homes were built before 1944, against 1959 for New York as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Wolcott’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Wolcott is more affordable than 73% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Prices here have kept pace with New York: up 33.7% in five years, against 29.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 8.1% in a year
Faster than New York (5.6%).
Show as a table
| January | Wolcott | New York |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $120,000 | $296,000 |
| 2018 | $125,000 | $314,000 |
| 2019 | $128,000 | $335,000 |
| 2020 | $133,000 | $350,000 |
| 2021 | $157,000 | $376,000 |
| 2022 | $165,000 | $414,000 |
| 2023 | $173,000 | $434,000 |
| 2024 | $188,000 | $455,000 |
| 2025 | $204,000 | $486,000 |
| 2026 | $211,000 | $506,000 |
| September 2026 | $225,000 | $525,000 |
A typical Wolcott home worth $117K in October 2016 is worth about $225K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs about a year of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Wolcott’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Wolcott home, with $7K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,320 a month here, $400 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Wolcott’s typical property tax (2.87% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,320
Renters already here pay a median of $663, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Rochester, NY MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Wolcott in 2025. That's 0.7 per 1,000 residents, slower than across New York (1.8). Over the past 10 years, Wolcott has permitted 3 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Wolcott's population fell by 145 even though 1 new home was permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across New York: 2.2 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $250,000 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $110,000 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $48,000 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $143,000 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $90,000 |
| 2000 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $400,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $2,601, under the New York median of $6,582, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 2.87% a year, against 1.55% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Wolcott
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Rochester, NY metro area, or New York. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 97 | NY 108 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 100 | NY 107 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 133 | NY 134 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 98 | NY 104 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Electricity cents per kWh, homes | 29.9¢ | U.S. 18.3¢ | state | EIA, July 2026 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Wolcott and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolcott | B+ | $225K | $91K | 2.87% | $1,320 |
Questions about the cost of living in Wolcott
Is Wolcott expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Wolcott costs less than 73% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.2 years of the median household income of the Rochester, NY metro area ($76K).
How much does a house cost in Wolcott?
About $225K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 8.1% in a year. The New York typical home is $525K.
What salary do you need to live in Wolcott?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $74,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,720 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $53,000.
How much is rent in Wolcott?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,320 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $663 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Wolcott?
The median bill is $2,601 a year, 2.87% of the median home value (New York: $6,582, 1.55%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Wolcott going up?
Yes: up 8.1% in the past year and 33.7% in five years, against 29.7% across New York (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Wolcott buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.