Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rochester's standout: the median household earns $107K. Overall it grades A−, 121st of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin. It has 16 miles of trail. 12% of the land in Rochester is conserved, above both the Wisconsin town median (3.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Rochester has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Franklyn Hazelo House and Whitman-Belden House. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 79% of U.S. towns.
Where Rochester beats most towns.
11.5% of the town is conserved land, across 10 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Rochester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 306 in 1860, a low of 220 in 1920, 3,785 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1847 and 4 maps from 1893 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Rochester.
Rochester sends most of its workers to Milwaukee and beyond and has fewer 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Wisconsin (mostly inland flooding).
At 0.9 miles per square mile, Rochester’s trail density is above both Wisconsin’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest place to walk is Case Eagle Park, 227 acres with 2.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. W.R. Wadewitz Nature Camp | 4.9 mi | 176 |
| 2. Honey Creek Wildlife Area - Cherry Lake Unit | 3.1 mi | 264 |
| 3. Saller Woods Park | 3.1 mi | 118 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Rochester has 575 jobs for its 1,963 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 430 in 2013 to 575.
Most working residents leave Rochester for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Rochester grew to 575 in 2023, 145 more than in 2013. 2.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Rochester.
| Rochester | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $107,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Rochester home is worth about $438,000, up 8.5% in a year, 30% above the Wisconsin typical home. Rochester’s median rent is $855 a month.
| Rochester | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $855 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,617 U.S. towns with household incomes like Rochester’s, it is less healthy than 53%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
26% of Rochester adults feel lonely. Rochester beats the Wisconsin average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 14% of Rochester adults report frequent mental distress.
| Rochester | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| What stands out | Rochester | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.6% | 12.1% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4% | 5.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Burlington weather station, 6 miles away, records that about 7 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 77% of Wisconsin places with climate records. January nights average 13.4°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 96% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 82.8°.
Rochester has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Rochester is 13°F. About 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Rochester | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 13°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide); children under 18 are 17% of residents (21% statewide). 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Rochester | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.2 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 20% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.9 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Rochester | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.8% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.4% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.5% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 23.6% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.8% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0.8% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.6% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 22.5% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.9% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.2% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,800, single groups can be off by several points
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of Wisconsin towns, with expected losses of about $808 per resident a year; that rating is what its C+ for hazard risk is built on.
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Rochester since 2017.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rochester. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
27 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
28 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
9 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre
38 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
27 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther ArenaSix Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Fiserv Forum: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Milwaukee Art Museum: Michael Hicks (Mulad), CC BY 2.0 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena: Shadowlink1014, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Rochester; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Rochester residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
Where Rochester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Rochester on the National Register of Historic Places.
Village in Wisconsin
Rochester is a village in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,785 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the former Town of Rochester. On November 4, 2008, the village of Rochester voted to consolidate with the Town of Rochester.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Rochester.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Dover (A−) comes closest.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | #121 | A− | B− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Waterford · Waterford | #199 | B | D | — | A | B+ |
| Spring Prairie | — | — | C− | — | B | B |
| Dover | #143 | A− | C+ | — | B | B |
| Burlington | #193 | B+ | B− | — | B | B |
| Tichigan | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Norway | #207 | B | C | — | A− | B |
Spring Prairie has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Rochester, Waterford, Spring Prairie, Dover, Burlington and Norway report no FBI crime data of their own. Tichigan isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Waterford and Waterford are one community, graded once. Compare Rochester with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Rochester grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #121 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B+ for health and B+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 5.6 years of the area's median household income ($78,096 across the Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI metro area).
2 notable people were born here, including Ginger Beaumont and Ellsworth Burnett Belden.
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