Population
Rochester
209,720
Columbus
204,383
Median Income
Rochester
$46,628
Columbus
$56,622
Home Value
Rochester
$120,600
Columbus
$182,300
Rent
Rochester
$1,039
Columbus
$1,072
Crime Rate
Rochester
5.82
Columbus
6.08
Cost of Living
Rochester
87.9
Columbus
96.1
Avg Temp
Rochester
N/A
Columbus
N/A
Unemployment
Rochester
7.9%
Columbus
6.5%
How Similar Are Rochester & Columbus?
Columbus is Rochester's #4 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Rochester
209,720
Columbus
204,383
Both cities have similar populations — Rochester at 209,720 and Columbus at 204,383.
Violent Crime
Rochester
5.82
Columbus
6.08
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.
Property Crime
Rochester
32.89
Columbus
22.36
Rochester has a 32% higher property crime than Columbus.
Political Leaning
Rochester
40.5%
Columbus
38.0%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 6% difference.
Unemployment
Rochester
7.9%
Columbus
6.5%
Rochester has a 18% higher unemployment than Columbus.
Median Income
Rochester
$46,628
Columbus
$56,622
Columbus has a 18% higher median income than Rochester.
Home Values
Rochester
$120,600
Columbus
$182,300
Columbus has a 34% higher home values than Rochester.
Education
Rochester
19.9%
Columbus
19.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Rochester
41.5%
Columbus
39.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Rochester
87.9
Columbus
96.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Rochester and Columbus share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Rochester
0
Columbus
Columbus leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Rochester leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,088 vs $1,573 in Rochester (45% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $939 vs $1,256 in Rochester (34% lower). Rochester scores 71.3 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 86.6 in Columbus.
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 — Columbus leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbus has a median property tax of $1,526 vs $3,074 in Rochester (101% lower). Columbus has a median home value of $182,300 vs $120,600 in Rochester (34% higher). Columbus has a single-family homes of 69.3% compared to 50.3% in Rochester.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Columbus leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbus has a poverty rate of 18.8% compared to 26.6% in Rochester. Columbus has a unemployment rate of 6.5% compared to 7.9% in Rochester. Columbus has a median household income of $56,622 vs $46,628 in Rochester (18% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Columbus leads
Source: FBI UCRColumbus has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.51 compared to 1.53 in Rochester. Columbus has a property crime clearance of 21.2% compared to 10.3% in Rochester. Columbus has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 22.36 compared to 32.89 in Rochester.
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 — Rochester leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauRochester has a high school diploma or higher of 38.4% compared to 37.3% in Columbus. Rochester has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.9% compared to 19.6% in Columbus.
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 ACSRochester has a population of 209,720, about 1x the size of Columbus (204,383). Rochester skews younger with a median age of 33.5 vs 35.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Rochester
Columbus
Healthcare — Columbus leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareColumbus: 3.0 vs Rochester: 1.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Rochester leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRochester has a public transit of 5.4% compared to 0.8% in Columbus. Rochester has a bicycle of 1.1% compared to 0.3% in Columbus. Rochester has a work from home of 10.8% compared to 9.3% in Columbus.
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.