Population
Rochester
209,720
Buffalo
276,397
Median Income
Rochester
$46,628
Buffalo
$48,050
Home Value
Rochester
$120,600
Buffalo
$152,300
Rent
Rochester
$1,039
Buffalo
$989
Crime Rate
Rochester
5.82
Buffalo
7.07
Cost of Living
Rochester
87.9
Buffalo
86.7
Avg Temp
Rochester
N/A
Buffalo
N/A
Unemployment
Rochester
7.9%
Buffalo
7.2%
How Similar Are Rochester & Buffalo?
Buffalo is Rochester's #1 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Rochester
209,720
Buffalo
276,397
Buffalo has a 24% larger population than Rochester.
Violent Crime
Rochester
5.82
Buffalo
7.07
Buffalo has a 18% higher violent crime than Rochester.
Property Crime
Rochester
32.89
Buffalo
38.10
Buffalo has a 14% higher property crime than Rochester.
Political Leaning
Rochester
40.5%
Buffalo
45.2%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Buffalo has a stronger Democratic lean (10% difference).
Unemployment
Rochester
7.9%
Buffalo
7.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.
Median Income
Rochester
$46,628
Buffalo
$48,050
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Rochester
$120,600
Buffalo
$152,300
Buffalo has a 21% higher home values than Rochester.
Education
Rochester
19.9%
Buffalo
20.2%
Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.
Demographics
Rochester
41.5%
Buffalo
45.4%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.
Cost of Living
Rochester
87.9
Buffalo
86.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Rochester and Buffalo share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Rochester
0
Buffalo
Buffalo leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Buffalo leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBuffalo has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,343 vs $1,573 in Rochester (17% lower). Buffalo has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,139 vs $1,256 in Rochester (10% lower). Buffalo scores 96.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 101.7 in Rochester.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Buffalo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBuffalo has a median property tax of $1,625 vs $3,074 in Rochester (89% lower). Rochester has a single-family homes of 50.3% compared to 39.5% in Buffalo. Buffalo has a median home value of $152,300 vs $120,600 in Rochester (21% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Buffalo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBuffalo: 132,325 vs Rochester: 105,967 for labor force. Rochester has a work from home of 10.8% compared to 9.6% in Buffalo. Buffalo has a unemployment rate of 7.2% compared to 7.9% in Rochester.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Rochester leads
Source: FBI UCRRochester has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 17.96 compared to 25.73 in Buffalo. Rochester has a assault rate (per 1k) of 3.97 compared to 4.92 in Buffalo. Rochester has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 5.82 compared to 7.07 in Buffalo.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Buffalo leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBuffalo has a bachelor's degree or higher of 20.2% compared to 19.9% in Rochester.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBuffalo has a population of 276,397, about 1.3x the size of Rochester (209,720).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Rochester
Buffalo
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBuffalo: 2.7 vs Rochester: 1.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Rochester: 4 vs Buffalo: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Rochester leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRochester has a bicycle of 1.1% compared to 0.6% in Buffalo. Buffalo has a public transit of 8.5% compared to 5.4% in Rochester. Rochester has a work from home of 10.8% compared to 9.6% in Buffalo.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Rochester, NY
Compare Rochester against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.