Population
Rochester
209,720
Topeka
126,103
Median Income
Rochester
$46,628
Topeka
$55,902
Home Value
Rochester
$120,600
Topeka
$130,600
Rent
Rochester
$1,039
Topeka
$947
Crime Rate
Rochester
5.82
Topeka
8.57
Cost of Living
Rochester
87.9
Topeka
88.9
Avg Temp
Rochester
N/A
Topeka
N/A
Unemployment
Rochester
7.9%
Topeka
4.9%
How Similar Are Rochester & Topeka?
Topeka is Rochester's #10 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Rochester
209,720
Topeka
126,103
Rochester has a 40% larger population than Topeka.
Violent Crime
Rochester
5.82
Topeka
8.57
Topeka has a 32% higher violent crime than Rochester.
Property Crime
Rochester
32.89
Topeka
36.43
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 10% difference.
Political Leaning
Rochester
40.5%
Topeka
48.8%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Topeka has a stronger Democratic lean (17% difference).
Unemployment
Rochester
7.9%
Topeka
4.9%
Rochester has a 38% higher unemployment than Topeka.
Median Income
Rochester
$46,628
Topeka
$55,902
Topeka has a 17% higher median income than Rochester.
Home Values
Rochester
$120,600
Topeka
$130,600
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Rochester
19.9%
Topeka
19.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.
Demographics
Rochester
41.5%
Topeka
71.0%
Topeka has a 41% higher demographics than Rochester.
Cost of Living
Rochester
87.9
Topeka
88.9
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Rochester and Topeka share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Rochester
0
Topeka
Cost of Living & Affordability — Rochester leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDTopeka has a fair market rent (1br) of $820 vs $1,256 in Rochester (53% lower). Topeka has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,057 vs $1,573 in Rochester (49% lower). Topeka scores 91.8 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 — Topeka leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSTopeka has a median property tax of $1,991 vs $3,074 in Rochester (54% lower). Topeka has a owner-occupied of 59.1% compared to 37.2% in Rochester. Topeka has a single-family homes of 70.4% compared to 50.3% in Rochester.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Topeka leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSTopeka has a poverty rate of 15.6% compared to 26.6% in Rochester. Rochester: 105,967 vs Topeka: 62,868 for labor force. Topeka has a unemployment rate of 4.9% 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 UCRTopeka has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.81 compared to 1.53 in Rochester. Rochester has a property crime clearance of 10.3% compared to 5.8% in Topeka. Rochester has a assault rate (per 1k) of 3.97 compared to 7.13 in Topeka.
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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauTopeka has a high school diploma or higher of 41.1% compared to 38.4% in Rochester. Rochester has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.9% compared to 19.6% in Topeka.
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 1.7x the size of Topeka (126,103). Rochester skews younger with a median age of 33.5 vs 38.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Rochester
Topeka
Healthcare — Topeka leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareTopeka: 4.0 vs Rochester: 1.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Topeka: 5 vs Rochester: 4 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 0.1% in Topeka. Rochester has a public transit of 5.4% compared to 0.9% in Topeka. Topeka has a drive alone of 76.7% 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.