Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 22/100
F
Median home value$279,100
Boston $646,300
Median rent$1,369/mo
Boston $2,023/mo
Cost-burdened households35%
Boston 36%
Rochester
Strafford County33,144 residentsRochester School District
48
D+
Suburbgrade score
54th of 60 Boston suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
48
Boston median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Rochester yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 48 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 Boston. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 35/100
F
Within-state proficiency7th pct
Boston median 47th pct
Student–teacher ratio11.6
Boston median 11.8
Graduation rate81%
Boston median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 76/100
B
Housing cost index68
Boston 100
Eff. tax rate1.67%
Boston 1.01%
Local sales tax0.00%
Boston median 6.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 55/100
C−
Mean commute26.1 min
Boston 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes62%
Boston 52%
Transit stops / sq mi2.7
Boston median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 57/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés28
Boston median 51 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Boston median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks24
Boston median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 55/100
C−
Median household income$80,836
Boston $115,863
Unemployment2.7%
Boston 4.9%
Professional occupations34%
Boston 54%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
—
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?
—
Do you feel safe walking after dark?
—
Can you walk to a grocery store?
—
Is it good for young children?
—
Are yards and streets well kept?
—
Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Rochester on housing & affordability
Rochester's weakest grade is F. Two suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Rochester
Is Rochester, NH a good place to live?
Rochester scores 48 out of 100, 54th of 60 Boston suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Rochester expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $279,100, 57% below the Boston median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.67%. $1,369/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Rochester?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Rochester sit at the 7th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 81% graduation rate and a 11.6 student–teacher ratio. Rochester is served by Rochester School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Rochester?
The mean commute is 26.1 min, with 62% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 12% working from home. Transit density is 2.7 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Rochester?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 28 restaurants and cafés and 24 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Rochester old or new?
The median home in Rochester was built in 1978 — newer than the Boston median of 1964. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 54% 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.