Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rochester’s overall C− puts it 209th of 285 in Washington. That leaves it better than 24% of U.S. towns. Where it falls short is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. It lags on hazard risk as well: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. At about $506K, a typical home costs 5.2 years of the Olympia metro’s $97K median household income. Its strongest subject is schools: its schools rank ahead of 55% of Washington towns. Only 12 of Washington’s 397 towns score lower on the outdoors.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · USGS PAD-US.
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 puts 53% of Rochester’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 44% to earthquakes. Federal aid has come to Rochester households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2025.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Of its 5 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The largest public high school is Rochester High School, with 608 students. The Rochester School District runs its public schools.
| 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
Jobs in Rochester grew by 121 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 805. For most workers, Rochester is a place to come home to: only 3% work in town. The share of residents in Rochester who live below the poverty line is 16%, above both the Washington town median (7.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). In Rochester, the typical journey to work is 32 minutes.
| 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’s January low is 34°F, where Washington’s towns sit at 35°F and U.S. towns at 22°F. The midsummer high for Rochester comes to 78°F. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| 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
The typical home value in Rochester is about $506,000, up 0.5% in a year, 14% below the Washington typical home. In Rochester, 86% of households own their home. Its median rent stands at $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.
Just over one in ten adults have diabetes in Rochester. The share of adults in Rochester who had a checkup this year: 68%.
| 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.
Walkers can cover 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 City parkGeorge 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+.
