Population
Rochester
209,720
Des Moines
212,464
Median Income
Rochester
$46,628
Des Moines
$63,966
Home Value
Rochester
$120,600
Des Moines
$183,700
Rent
Rochester
$1,039
Des Moines
$1,054
Crime Rate
Rochester
5.82
Des Moines
7.05
Cost of Living
Rochester
87.9
Des Moines
104.6
Avg Temp
Rochester
N/A
Des Moines
N/A
Unemployment
Rochester
7.9%
Des Moines
5.8%
How Similar Are Rochester & Des Moines?
Des Moines is Rochester's #23 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Rochester
209,720
Des Moines
212,464
Both cities have similar populations — Rochester at 209,720 and Des Moines at 212,464.
Violent Crime
Rochester
5.82
Des Moines
7.05
Des Moines has a 17% higher violent crime than Rochester.
Property Crime
Rochester
32.89
Des Moines
31.26
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.
Political Leaning
Rochester
40.5%
Des Moines
43.9%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 8% difference.
Unemployment
Rochester
7.9%
Des Moines
5.8%
Rochester has a 27% higher unemployment than Des Moines.
Median Income
Rochester
$46,628
Des Moines
$63,966
Des Moines has a 27% higher median income than Rochester.
Home Values
Rochester
$120,600
Des Moines
$183,700
Des Moines has a 34% higher home values than Rochester.
Education
Rochester
19.9%
Des Moines
19.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.
Demographics
Rochester
41.5%
Des Moines
66.9%
Des Moines has a 38% higher demographics than Rochester.
Cost of Living
Rochester
87.9
Des Moines
104.6
Des Moines has a 16% higher cost of living than Rochester.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Rochester and Des Moines share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Rochester
0
Des Moines
Cost of Living & Affordability — Rochester leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDRochester scores 71.3 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 97.8 in Des Moines. Des Moines has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,318 vs $1,573 in Rochester (19% lower). Rochester has a living wage (family of 4) of $91,380 vs $108,786 in Des Moines (16% lower).
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 — Des Moines leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDes Moines has a vacancy rate of 7.6% compared to 10.7% in Rochester. Des Moines has a owner-occupied of 60.5% compared to 37.2% in Rochester. Des Moines has a median home value of $183,700 vs $120,600 in Rochester (34% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Des Moines leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDes Moines has a poverty rate of 14.9% compared to 26.6% in Rochester. Des Moines has a unemployment rate of 5.8% compared to 7.9% in Rochester. Des Moines has a median household income of $63,966 vs $46,628 in Rochester (27% higher).
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 UCRDes Moines has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.13 in Rochester. Des Moines has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.75 compared to 1.53 in Rochester. Rochester has a violent crime clearance of 45.8% compared to 28.9% in Des Moines.
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 bachelor's degree or higher of 19.9% compared to 19.3% in Des Moines.
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 ACSDes Moines has a population of 212,464, about 1x the size of Rochester (209,720). Rochester skews younger with a median age of 33.5 vs 34.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Rochester
Des Moines
Healthcare — Des Moines leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDes Moines: 2.8 vs Rochester: 1.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRochester has a public transit of 5.4% compared to 1.1% in Des Moines. Rochester has a bicycle of 1.1% compared to 0.4% in Des Moines. Des Moines has a drive alone of 72.3% compared to 65.8% in Rochester.
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.