City · Fulton County, Indiana

Rochester, Indiana

Rochester is a city in Fulton County, Indiana. It has 6,215 residents. Rochester, Indiana has a quality-of-life score of 33 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,543 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Indiana it ranks #222 of 353 cities and towns. It ranks best on drug overdose deaths (low), social associations (high) and pharmacies (high). It ranks worst on gyms and fitness centers (low), new business applications (low) and access to exercise opportunities (low).

33Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,543 of 15,651 cities and towns
Indiana: #222 of 353 in IN
Population: 6,215 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,359.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 1865214

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety31#10,832/15,637
Economy11#13,947/15,631
Housing97#481/14,977
Health20#12,488/15,609
Healthcare31#10,743/15,650
Environment57#6,647/15,453
Education40#9,466/15,649
Infrastructure33#10,553/15,650
Community51#7,689/15,651
Leisure & amenities32#10,583/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Rochester, Indiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Fulton County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Indiana 18.5 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataFulton County value
Social associations · high18.7 /10k
97/100Indiana 11.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFulton County value
Pharmacies · high3.0 /10k
96/100Indiana 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFulton County value
Public libraries · high2.5 /10k
94/100Indiana 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesFulton County value
Natural hazard risk · low7.4
88/100Indiana 24.52025Federal Emergency Management AgencyFulton County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.377
87/100Indiana 0.452United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Weaknesses

Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Indiana 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFulton County value
New business applications · low7.6 /1k
5/100Indiana 12.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauFulton County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low39.4%
5/100Indiana 76.2%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFulton County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low2.0 /10k
11/100Indiana 3.8 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFulton County value
Adult obesity · high42.0%
13/100Indiana 39.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Flu vaccinations · low33.0%
13/100Indiana 47.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFulton County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
55.2% (2015-2019) → 33.4% (2020-2024)
−22 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
71.9% (2015-2019) → 85.6% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
19.2% (2015-2019) → 31.3% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
31.9% (2015-2019) → 22.8% (2020-2024)
−9.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Unemployment rateWorsening
0.6% (2015-2019) → 7.7% (2020-2024)
+7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Poverty rateWorsening
12.4% (2015-2019) → 18.1% (2020-2024)
+5.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Rochester, Indiana improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Rent burden−22 points55.2% → 33.4%
Rent / income−9.1 points31.9% → 22.8%
Broadband+14 points71.9% → 85.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Rochester, Indiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.4 min2015-2019	20.6 min2020-2024	+2.2 min	Within the margin of error	25%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.6%2015-2019	18.3%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Broadband subscriptions	71.9%2015-2019	85.6%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	75%
Child poverty rate	19.2%2015-2019	31.3%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Effective property tax rate	0.80%2015-2019	0.69%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	36%
High school diploma or higher	90.1%2015-2019	89.4%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	54%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4072015-2019	0.3772020-2024	−0.030	Within the margin of error	74%
Median household income	$51,3892015-2019	$57,0082020-2024	+11%	Within the margin of error	18%
Poverty rate	12.4%2015-2019	18.1%2020-2024	+5.7 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Rent as share of income	31.9%2015-2019	22.8%2020-2024	−9.1 points	Improved	92%
Rent-burdened households	55.2%2015-2019	33.4%2020-2024	−22 points	Improved	95%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.9%2015-2019	5.6%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Within the margin of error	88%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Rochester, Indiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Rochester, Indiana in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Rochester, Indiana itself moved +9.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

6,215 residents (±20)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,812 households (±213)

Rochester, Indiana
Indiana share

Under $25k18%†513
$25k–50k24%†667
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,812 households (±213)

Rochester, Indiana
Indiana share

Own66%1,851
Rent34%961

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,756 workers (±331)

Rochester, Indiana
Indiana share

Drive alone78%2,156
Carpool11%†315
Public transit0.1%†2

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Fulton County, the county holding most of Rochester's residents.

Fulton County has 465 employer establishments, 229 for every 10,000 residents (0.92× the US rate of 248; 1.01× Indiana's), with 5,685 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,093. The Census Bureau also counts 1,381 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 465; 1,381 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 229; US 248 · Indiana 226
Paid employees: 5,685
Average annual pay: $46,093; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Fulton County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	36	17.7	0.96×About typical	499	$18,625	5
Religious organizations	31	15.2	2.75×More than typical	133	$15,346	—
Specialty trade contractors	30	14.8	0.95×About typical	92	$45,598	98
Ambulatory health care services	26	12.8	0.61×Fewer than typical	172	$57,134	30
Full-service restaurants	18	8.9	1.15×About typical	217	$19,318	—
Truck transportation	17	8.4	1.65×More than typical	56	$55,911	62
Construction of buildings	15	7.4	0.98×About typical	59	$51,797	57
Limited-service restaurants	15	7.4	0.92×About typical	256	$17,883	—
Gasoline stations	14	6.9	2.12×More than typical	169	$24,988	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	12	5.9	1.17×About typical	61	$46,148	34
Services to buildings and dwellings	12	5.9	0.88×About typical	31	$36,097	118
Building equipment contractors	10	4.9	0.82×About typical	22	$46,409	16

Rank places for an industry Open Fulton County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 20,328 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $294 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Rochester, Indiana: $0.05 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $294
Per resident: $0.05; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services$294100%

Top recipients

ON-DEMAND SERVICES LLC$294100%

Spending by fiscal year

684.7FY2017
636.5FY2018
2.2KFY2019
1.7KFY2020
6.3KFY2021
0FY2022
5.3KFY2023
5KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$294100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Rochester, Indiana, so they do not add up across cities.

Rochester, Indiana's figures are part of those of Fulton County, IN ($13.3K in FY2026), never added to them: 2.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Rochester is mostly in Fulton County.

See federal money in Fulton County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Rochester, Indiana is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Rudy Yakym IIIR-IN-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.0%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Fulton County48100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Fulton County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1865214

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends