Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 72/100
B−
Median home value$473,200
Detroit $249,700
Median rent$1,350/mo
Detroit $1,207/mo
Cost-burdened households22%
Detroit 29%
Rochester
Oakland County12,934 residentsRochester Community School District
72
B−
Suburbgrade score
5th of 54 Detroit suburbs. Strong on schools and employment & income, held back by cost of living.
72
Detroit median 58
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Rochester yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 72 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Rochester is like to live in, by category
Bars show Rochester against Detroit. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 81/100
B+
Within-state proficiency97th pct
Detroit median 46th pct
Student–teacher ratio19.5
Detroit median 16.8
Graduation rate96%
Detroit median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 62/100
C
Housing cost index129
Detroit 100
Eff. tax rate1.19%
Detroit 1.27%
Local sales tax6.00%
Detroit median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 65/100
C+
Mean commute24.9 min
Detroit 26.0 min
Under 30 minutes63%
Detroit 61%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Detroit median 7.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 74/100
B
Restaurants & cafés56
Detroit median 59 · within 2 miles
Groceries6
Detroit median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks50
Detroit median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 77/100
B
Median household income$111,750
Detroit $76,664
Unemployment2.5%
Detroit 6.4%
Professional occupations63%
Detroit 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Rochester yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Rochester on cost of living
Rochester's weakest grade is C. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
Pontiac9 mi from RochesterB+ 44 D Madison Heights12 mi from RochesterB+ 65 C+ Mount Clemens14 mi from RochesterB+ 44 D Hamtramck20 mi from RochesterB+ 46 D Wixom24 mi from RochesterB 62 C Auburn Hills6 mi from RochesterB 54 C− Cost-of-living index composed in-house from housing cost, utilities, effective property tax and local sales tax · Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Effective property tax: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Rochester
Is Rochester, MI a good place to live?
Rochester scores 72 out of 100, 5th of 54 Detroit suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on cost of living. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Rochester expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $473,200, 90% above the Detroit median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.19%. $1,350/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Rochester?
Schools grade B+. The districts serving Rochester sit at the 97th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 96% graduation rate and a 19.5 student–teacher ratio. Rochester is served by Rochester Community School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Rochester?
The mean commute is 24.9 min, with 63% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 27% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Rochester?
Within two miles there are 6 groceries, 56 restaurants and cafés and 50 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Rochester old or new?
The median home in Rochester was built in 1983 — newer than the Detroit median of 1968. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 60% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.