Metro Life Score
Rochester, NY
Bottom-quartile composite Life Score — grade C-, 19th percentile of the national corpus.
- 42.2
- Life Score / 100
- C-
- Grade (curved)
- #315
- of 387 metros
- 19%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Rochester is bottom-quartile composite Life Score — #315 of 387 (42.2/100, grade C-, 19th percentile). Carried by wages at 84/100; held back most by schools at 6/100.
- 19th
- composite percentile
- #315
- of 387 peers
- 33rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 84th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · WAGE-LED · signature wages
Rochester: pay power is the signature
Rochester stamps LOWER · WAGE-LED with wages at the 84th percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (DEAR, 33rd) and composite #315. Wages (84/100) amplifies the lead; Schools (6/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Rochester, NY ranks #315 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #260 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 97.0 (rent-RPP 87.5). BLS median salary $72,785, 478,930 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,573/mo (studio $1,116).
FBI UCR (NY): 380 violent, 1661 property/100K. NCES: 11.4:1 ratio, 7.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $13,869/yr. EPA: 122 Superfund sites (NY).
Where Rochester sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
42 19th percentile higher than 19% 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 42.2 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 NY 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 19% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #312 | Reading, PA | 42.4 | C- |
| #313 | Redding, CA | 42.5 | C- |
| #314 | Manchester-Nashua, NH | 42.5 | C- |
| #315 | Rochester, NY | 42.2 | C- |
| #316 | Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | 42.2 | C- |
| #317 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 42.2 | C- |
| #318 | Hinesville, GA | 42.1 | C- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Rochester, NY's quality rank (bottom 19% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 33% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
NY Metro Scores
Read with Rochester
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Rochester (LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
ABS(composite) peer at 42.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
ABS(composite) peer at 42.2 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Hinesville, GA
ABS(composite) peer at 42.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Lancaster, PA
ABS(composite) peer at 42.1 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C- vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 33/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Reading, PA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 33/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Rochester, NY relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Rochester's bottom-third Life Score
Rochester scores 42.2/100 overall, but Wages (84.2) and Schools (6.5) sit 77.7 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
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Binghamton is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Binghamton
A low composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can still be strong.