Metro Life Score
Rochester, MN
Top-quartile composite Life Score — grade A-, 86th percentile of the national corpus.
- 59.8
- Life Score / 100
- A-
- Grade (curved)
- #55
- of 387 metros
- 86%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Rochester is top-quartile composite Life Score — #55 of 387 (59.8/100, grade A-, 86th percentile). Carried by wages at 90/100; held back most by environment at 21/100.
- 86th
- composite percentile
- #55
- of 387 peers
- 71st
- cost dimension percentile
- 90th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · WAGE-LED · signature wages
Rochester: pay power is the signature
Rochester stamps UPPER · WAGE-LED with wages at the 90th percentile of the metro corpus (PEAK) — ahead of its cost mark (CHEAP, 71st) and composite #55. Wages (90/100) amplifies the lead; Environment (21/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Rochester, MN ranks #55 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #113 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 90.8 (rent-RPP 78.6). BLS median salary $75,687, 100,480 jobs (Registered Nurses, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,407/mo (studio $1,112).
FBI UCR (MN): 259 violent, 1625 property/100K. NCES: 13.9:1 ratio, 11.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,722/yr. EPA: 49 Superfund sites (MN).
Where Rochester sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
60 Top 14% higher than 86% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 59.8 is built
Rochester's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Rochester scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are MN state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Rochester With...
Ranking Context
Rochester outranks 86% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #52 | Greenville, NC | 59.9 | A- |
| #53 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 59.9 | A- |
| #54 | Beckley, WV | 60.1 | A- |
| #55 | Rochester, MN | 59.8 | A- |
| #56 | Mobile, AL | 59.8 | A- |
| #57 | Winston-Salem, NC | 59.6 | A- |
| #58 | Peoria, IL | 59.5 | A- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Rochester, MN's quality rank (top 14% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 29% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
MN Metro Scores
Read with Rochester
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Rochester (UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/PEAK), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Mobile, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 59.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/PEAK.
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
ABS(composite) peer at 59.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/PEAK.
Greenville, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 59.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/PEAK.
Winston-Salem, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 59.6 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/PEAK.
Baton Rouge, LA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 71/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Fargo, ND-MN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 71/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Rochester, MN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · WAGE-LED · CHEAP/PEAK - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Rochester's top-third Life Score
Rochester scores 59.8/100 overall, but Wages (90.4) and Environment (21.2) sit 69.2 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Wages is the strongest of Rochester's seven dimensions (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- St. Cloud is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with St. Cloud
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.