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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Rochester Metro

Rochester, MN · 4 counties · 226,329 residents · 2,477 sq mi
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The short version

With 226,329 people, Rochester is a metro area. Owners hold 73% of the housing stock. About 41% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The population is up 23% since 2000. The average commute runs 21 minutes. The poverty rate is 7.8%, under the national 12.8%.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 38.6
US median: 38.8
More educated
41% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 35%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
226,329
+23%since 2000
from 184,740 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
91 / sq mi
+23%since 2000
from 75 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
38.6
+7%since 2000
from 35.9 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
2,477 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
156K176K196K215K235K19902000201020202024Rochester
2024229K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 56.2%(13,938)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.6%(15,025)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 147%(15,741)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.2%(14,043)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.6%(12,569)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3413.7%(31,051)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4413.1%(29,734)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.2%(25,363)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413.4%(30,295)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 749.5%(21,442)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.3%(11,949)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.3%(5,179)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$77,591
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $48,191 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$40,150
+76%since 2000
from $22,877 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
51.5%
+13.1 ptssince 2009
from 38.4% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
7.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2000
from 6.7% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information9.2%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade9.1%
US avg: 10%
Wholesale trade5.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Other services3.6%
US avg: 6.6%
Finance & insurance3.1%
US avg: 5.5%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.8%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction2.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Professional, scientific, technical2.6%
US avg: 4.7%
Public administration2.5%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing1.9%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$218,739
+35%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $107,689 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$933
+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $502 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
73.5%
−4.6 ptssince 2000
from 78.0% in 2000
26.5% rent
Persons per household
2.43 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.48 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
2.8
+4%since 2009
from 2.7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic91.7%(169,363)
Black1.8%(3,415)
Hispanic / Latino2.1%(3,966)
Asian3%(5,466)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic81.1%(183,659)
Black5%(11,304)
Hispanic / Latino5%(11,302)
Asian4.6%(10,462)
Other3.1%(7,028)
Segregation Score
38
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.9%(6,435)
Puerto Rican0.3%(598)
Guatemalan0.2%(421)
Cuban0.2%(334)
Colombian0.1%(320)
Dominican0.2%(305)
Salvadoran0.1%(291)
Chilean0.1%(177)
Peruvian0.1%(136)
Spaniard0.1%(111)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Argentine0.1%(109)
Uruguayan0%(50)
Honduran0%(34)
Bolivian0.1%(20)
Asian origin
Chinese0.9%(1,888)
Vietnamese0.8%(1,390)
Asian Indian0.6%(1,382)
Cambodian0.5%(948)
Laotian0.4%(615)
Korean0.3%(561)
Filipino0.2%(462)
Hmong0.2%(450)
Japanese0.1%(258)
Burmese0.2%(235)
Pakistani0.1%(195)
Thai0.1%(166)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Nepalese0.1%(93)
Taiwanese0%(44)
Malaysian0%(14)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.1%(132)
Samoan0%(7)
Ancestry
German34.6%(76,283)
Norwegian16.4%(36,224)
Irish11.3%(24,909)
English6.7%(14,650)
Swedish3.6%(7,888)
Polish3%(6,627)
American2.9%(6,482)
French2%(4,485)
Dutch1.9%(4,228)
Somali2.1%(3,657)
Czech1.4%(3,076)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Italian1.4%(3,064)
Scottish1.3%(2,812)
Danish1.2%(2,671)
Swiss0.6%(1,366)
Finnish0.6%(1,225)
French Canadian0.5%(1,153)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(943)
Welsh0.4%(943)
Moroccan0.6%(926)
Russian0.4%(867)
British0.3%(693)
Ethiopian0.4%(652)
Canadian0.2%(519)
Belgian0.2%(446)
Ukrainian0.2%(439)
Greek0.2%(428)
Austrian0.2%(350)
Hungarian0.2%(346)
Lithuanian0.1%(314)
Croatian0.1%(297)
Brazilian0.1%(235)
Slovene0.1%(215)
Iranian0.1%(211)
Lebanese0.1%(198)
Romanian0.1%(194)
Slovak0.1%(180)
Nigerian0.1%(172)
West Indian0.1%(163)
Serbian0.1%(159)
Arab0.1%(151)
Egyptian0%(85)
Latvian0.1%(83)
Bulgarian0%(74)
Armenian0%(72)
Jordanian0%(46)
Jamaican0%(44)
Turkish0%(43)
Kenyan0%(42)
Ghanaian0%(38)
Israeli0%(23)
Syrian0%(19)
Haitian0%(13)
Iraqi0%(6)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
40.5%
+11.8 ptssince 2000
from 28.7% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
94.1%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 89.0% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
16.4%
+6.0 ptssince 2000
from 10.4% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
20.5 min
+65%since 2000
from 12.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
72.6%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 76.5% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
5.7%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.1% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.3%
−1.1 ptssince 2011
from 4.4% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
70.8%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 72.3% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
84.6%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
47.5%
+5.4 ptssince 2009
from 42.2% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.3%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
50.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
8.4%
+2.1 ptssince 2009
from 6.3% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
4.6%
−2.5 ptssince 2013
from 7.2% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
92.6%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
86.4%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married31.8%(28,501)
Married58.3%(52,341)
Widowed2.2%(1,975)
Divorced7.7%(6,924)
Women 15+
Never married28.2%(26,506)
Married54.1%(50,918)
Widowed7.2%(6,746)
Divorced10.5%(9,895)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
4.6%
−2.5 ptssince 2013
from 7.2% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
68.6%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
14.2%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
17.1%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
14.7%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.9%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
79.8%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
30.4%
US average: 35.2%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)15.4%(1,799)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)14.6%(1,704)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era35.1%(4,101)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War9.8%(1,149)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.9%(461)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 11,681 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
In this metro

Largest cities

RochesterCENTRAL124,292Kasson7,350Stewartville6,850Byron6,740Plainview3,482Chatfield3,018Dodge Center2,951Wabasha2,599Spring Valley2,431Oronoco2,043Eyota2,013Blooming Prairie1,935Rushford1,849Hayfield1,358Preston1,318Elgin1,137Mantorville1,106Harmony1,028Mazeppa878West Concord842Rushford796Dover761Lanesboro712Mabel700Claremont500Wykoff437Kellogg423Fountain400Marion314Canton313

The 30 most populous of 38 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

4 component counties

Olmsted CountyCENTRAL166,731Fillmore County21,540Wabasha County21,537Dodge County21,376
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Rochester

Burlington
Pop 227,803
Charlottesville
Pop 228,597
Barnstable
Pop 233,539
Midland
Pop 193,139
Places similar to Rochester
Head to head

Compare Rochester side by side

ROCHESTER VS
Burlington
Income$93,347+20%
Home value$408,278+87%
Population227,803−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCHESTER VS
Charlottesville
Income$93,985+21%
Home value$445,185+104%
Population228,597−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCHESTER VS
Barnstable
Income$95,241+23%
Home value$629,000+188%
Population233,539+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCHESTER VS
Midland
Income$92,899+20%
Home value$308,703+41%
Population193,139−16%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Rochester, MN?

Rochester, MN has about 226,329 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Rochester, MN?

The typical household in Rochester, MN earns about $77,591 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Rochester, MN expensive?

In Rochester, MN, the median home is worth about $218,739, and the typical rent is about $933 a month.

How educated are people in Rochester, MN?

About 40.5% of adults age 25 and over in Rochester, MN hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Rochester, MN?

About 7.8% of people in Rochester, MN live below the federal poverty line.

Has Rochester, MN grown since 1990?

Yes, Rochester, MN has grown since 1990. The population has added about 63,607 residents, a change of about 39 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →