Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rochester is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 209th of 285 graded towns in Washington, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools rank ahead of 55% of Washington towns. A typical home there costs about $506K, 5.2 years of the Olympia metro’s $97K median household income. Only 12 of Washington’s 397 towns score lower on the outdoors. Its National Register listings include Miller-Brewer House and Gate School. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
Where Rochester beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
2,388 counted in 2010 and 6,064 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Rochester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,250 in 1990, 6,064 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 3 maps from 1941 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rochester is unincorporated, so Thurston County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Rochester.
Rochester has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has little public open land and trails even towns with similar incomes on health.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Rochester School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Rochester High School, with 608 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 535 | – |
| Rochester High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 608 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Rochester for work: only 3% work in town. Rochester’s average trip to work is 32 minutes, where Washington’s towns sit at 27 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Rochester.
| Rochester | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $99,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 78.1°, cooler than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 33.9°.
Rochester has mild winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Rochester’s July high is 78°F, against 77°F in Washington’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Rochester’s January low is 34°F.
| Rochester | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 34°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
86% of Rochester households own their home. The typical Rochester home is worth about $506,000, up 0.5% in a year, 14% below the Washington typical home. The median rent in Rochester is $1,161 a month.
| Rochester | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,161 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 8,713 U.S. towns with household incomes like Rochester’s, it is less healthy than 78%, so it trails even them.
Among 285 Washington towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Rochester. Rochester beats the Washington average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 22.
| Rochester | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 71% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Rochester | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.9% | 9% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.3% | 5.1% |
| More smokers | 14.3% | 10.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Just 11 of its 5,384 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Rochester itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Scatter Creek Wildlife Area | — | 11 |
| 2. Independence Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rochester. Close and well known come first.
39 mi Stadium & arenaCheney Stadium38 mi Zoo & aquariumNorthwest Trek Wildlife Park
34 mi MuseumFort Steilacoom
27 mi AttractionGospodor Monument Park
13 mi MuseumOlympic Flight Museum9 mi GardenGeorge Washington ParkCheney Stadium: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fort Steilacoom: Ben Cody, Public domain · Gospodor Monument Park: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Olympic Flight Museum: Articseahorse, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Rochester
About 2 of every 100 Rochester residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Where Rochester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Rochester on the National Register of Historic Places.
Place in Washington State
Rochester () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1852, and the 2020 census recorded its population at 6,064. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 square kilometers), all of it land. Rochester Schools had 2,105 students registered in the 2021-22 School Year.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Rochester.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | #209 | C− | C+ | — | B | B− |
| Grand Mound | #189 | C | C+ | — | B | B− |
Rochester and Grand Mound report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Rochester with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rochester grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #209 of 285 in Washington. It grades B− for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
