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METRO AREA · 1990 CENSUS

Rochester Metro

Rochester, NY · 5 counties · 1,002,410 residents · 2,928 sq mi
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The short version

Rochester is home to 1,002,410 people. The poverty rate is 9.8%, under the national 13.2%. About 23% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The median household earns $34,311, about 14% above the national median. The typical home is worth $84,802. The population has held roughly steady since 2000.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $30,130
Mid-age
median age 33.0
US median: 33.0
More educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 20%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $93,722
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,002,410
−3%vs 2000
vs 1,037,831 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
342 / sq mi
−3%vs 2000
vs 354 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
33.0
−9%vs 2000
vs 36.3 in 2000
US average: 33.0
Land area
2,928 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
996K1.0M1.0M1.1M1.1M19902000201020202024Rochester
20241.1M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 1990
Under 57.6%(75,959)
US avg: 7.3%
5 to 97.2%(72,592)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 146.5%(64,747)
US avg: 6.9%
15 to 196.9%(69,640)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 247.9%(79,638)
US avg: 7.5%
25 to 3417.5%(175,311)
US avg: 17.5%
35 to 4415.6%(156,594)
US avg: 15.1%
45 to 5410.2%(102,050)
US avg: 10.2%
55 to 648.2%(82,220)
US avg: 8.5%
65 to 747.1%(71,010)
US avg: 7.3%
75 to 844%(39,743)
US avg: 4%
85 and over1.3%(12,906)
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$34,311
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $44,325 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$15,355
−30%vs 2000
vs $21,809 in 2000
US average: $14,340
Poverty rate
9.8%
−0.7 ptsvs 2000
vs 10.5% in 2000
US average: 13.2%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$84,802
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $94,345 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$460
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $591 in 2000
US average: $450
Owner-occupied
67.8%
−0.3 ptsvs 2000
vs 68.1% in 2000
32.2% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic81.5%(846,012)
Black10.4%(107,922)
Hispanic / Latino4.5%(46,655)
Asian1.9%(19,502)
Other0%
1990
White, non-Hispanic87.6%(878,195)
Black9.3%(93,088)
Hispanic / Latino2.9%(29,330)
Asian1.3%(13,225)
Other1.8%(17,902)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican5.4%(57,277)
Mexican0.9%(9,331)
Dominican0.5%(5,598)
South American0.5%(4,999)
Central American0.4%(4,175)
Cuban0.3%(3,632)
Spaniard0.1%(1,360)
Colombian0.1%(1,224)
Guatemalan0.1%(1,061)
Salvadoran0.1%(1,008)
Ecuadorian0.1%(925)
Panamanian0.1%(888)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0.1%(876)
Honduran0.1%(762)
Peruvian0.1%(703)
Venezuelan0%(460)
Bolivian0%(419)
Nicaraguan0%(248)
Argentine0%(231)
Uruguayan0%(22)
Asian origin
Chinese0.7%(7,688)
Asian Indian0.6%(6,450)
Nepalese0.3%(2,558)
Vietnamese0.3%(2,376)
Korean0.2%(2,263)
Filipino0.2%(1,896)
Burmese0.1%(1,301)
Pakistani0.1%(1,218)
Bangladeshi0.1%(780)
Thai0.1%(779)
Sri Lankan0.1%(779)
Laotian0.1%(704)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Japanese0.1%(695)
Kazakh0.1%(486)
Cambodian0%(358)
Taiwanese0%(270)
Bhutanese0%(196)
Malaysian0%(74)
Uzbek0%(40)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(205)
Guamanian0.1%(50)
Chamorro0%(39)
Fijian0%(2)
Ancestry
German17.4%(184,470)
Italian15.2%(160,819)
Irish14.7%(155,964)
English12.5%(131,783)
Polish4.4%(46,914)
American4.3%(45,813)
Dutch2.6%(27,082)
French2%(21,637)
Scottish1.8%(18,613)
Subsaharan African1.1%(11,184)
Ukrainian1%(10,527)
West Indian0.9%(9,850)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
French Canadian0.8%(8,989)
Russian0.7%(7,382)
Swedish0.7%(7,100)
Arab0.6%(6,261)
Welsh0.6%(6,136)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(5,526)
Jamaican0.5%(5,428)
Norwegian0.4%(4,328)
British0.4%(3,868)
Greek0.4%(3,782)
Canadian0.3%(3,371)
Hungarian0.3%(3,264)
Swiss0.3%(2,784)
Danish0.3%(2,724)
Lithuanian0.2%(2,249)
Austrian0.2%(2,023)
Czech0.2%(1,964)
Portuguese0.2%(1,835)
Lebanese0.2%(1,656)
Ethiopian0.2%(1,565)
Haitian0.1%(1,438)
Turkish0.2%(1,405)
Somali0.2%(1,286)
Macedonian0.1%(1,220)
Belgian0.1%(1,206)
Nigerian0.1%(1,014)
Egyptian0.1%(974)
Slovak0.1%(938)
Finnish0.1%(896)
Armenian0.1%(798)
Croatian0.1%(788)
Palestinian0.1%(755)
Romanian0.1%(731)
Syrian0.1%(638)
Iraqi0.1%(560)
Latvian0.1%(547)
Israeli0.1%(523)
Iranian0.1%(521)
Slovene0.1%(502)
Brazilian0%(448)
Guyanese0%(362)
Moroccan0%(350)
Serbian0%(331)
Barbadian0%(290)
Ghanaian0%(244)
Bulgarian0%(220)
Australian0%(195)
Kenyan0%(98)
Jordanian0%(51)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
23.4%
−4.4 ptsvs 2000
vs 27.7% in 2000
US average: 20.3%
High school or higher
79.1%
−5.2 ptsvs 2000
vs 84.3% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Graduate degree
8.9%
−2.4 ptsvs 2000
vs 11.2% in 2000
US average: 7.1%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.3 min
+46%vs 2000
vs 13.2 min in 2000
US average: 21.9
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married38.6%(165,577)
Married49.6%(212,771)
Widowed2.8%(11,927)
Divorced9%(38,555)
Women 15+
Never married34.3%(156,468)
Married45.5%(207,259)
Widowed8%(36,503)
Divorced12.2%(55,478)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
3.6%
−4.0 ptssince 2013
from 7.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
56.9%
−2.5 ptssince 2020
from 59.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.0%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 16.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
21.2%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 19.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
24.2%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 22.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.9%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 1.9% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
69.0%
−3.6 ptssince 2020
from 72.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
41.6%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 39.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)21%(9,910)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)18.7%(8,818)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era33.8%(15,943)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.7%(2,674)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.5%(714)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 47,103 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

RochesterCENTRAL206,108Irondequoit50,657Brighton36,834Greece13,943Geneva12,552Canandaigua10,347North Gates9,904Newark8,919Geneseo7,759Brockport7,736Rochester Institute of Technology6,959Gananda6,273East Rochester6,132Hilton5,873Medina5,855Albion5,843Webster5,761Fairport5,326Hamlin4,987Clarkson4,836Gates4,691Dansville4,342Lyons3,738Spencerport3,592Avon3,434Palmyra3,257Victor2,906Mount Morris2,857Honeoye Falls2,841Conesus Lake2,424

The 30 most populous of 92 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

5 component counties

Monroe CountyCENTRAL750,506Ontario CountyCENTRAL113,130Wayne County91,250Livingston County61,438Orleans County39,825
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Rochester

Tucson
Pop 1,074,685
Fresno
Pop 1,203,383
Greenville
Pop 1,014,101
Tulsa
Pop 1,069,273
Places similar to Rochester
Head to head

Compare Rochester side by side

ROCHESTER VS
Tucson
Income$70,315+105%
Home value$319,700+277%
Population1,074,685+2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCHESTER VS
Fresno
Income$74,533+117%
Home value$389,401+359%
Population1,203,383+14%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCHESTER VS
Greenville
Income$71,083+107%
Home value$265,762+213%
Population1,014,101−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCHESTER VS
Tulsa
Income$69,648+103%
Home value$220,806+160%
Population1,069,273+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Rochester, NY?

Rochester, NY has about 1,002,410 residents according to the 1990 Census.

What is the median household income in Rochester, NY?

The typical household in Rochester, NY earns about $34,311 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Rochester, NY expensive?

In Rochester, NY, the median home is worth about $84,802, and the typical rent is about $460 a month.

How educated are people in Rochester, NY?

About 23.4% of adults age 25 and over in Rochester, NY hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Rochester, NY?

About 9.8% of people in Rochester, NY live below the federal poverty line.

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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 →

Rochester, NY (1990): population, income & housing data · CensusEasy