Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety96#39/924
Economy96#40/925
Housing61#362/925
Health95#44/925
Healthcare97#30/923
Environment71#267/917
Education97#31/925
Infrastructure94#61/925
Community99#13/925
Leisure & amenities78#202/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Rochester, MN metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Primary care physicians · high186 /100k
100/100Minnesota 90 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · high62.2%
100/100Minnesota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Loneliness · low28.9%
99/100Minnesota 32.1%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Poor or fair health · low13.9%
98/100Minnesota 16.4%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Dentists · high114 /100k
98/100Minnesota 78 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Poverty rate · low7.5%
98/100Minnesota 9.3%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Weaknesses

Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
9/100Minnesota 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Days with unhealthy air · high2.3%
13/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Child care cost burden · high37.3%
13/100Minnesota 29.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
New business applications · low9.5 /1k
27/100Minnesota 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · high7.7 mi
31/100Minnesota 6.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · high0.99%
35/100Minnesota 1.00%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090

Trends

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

Child care cost burdenWorsening
20.2% (2020 & 2021) → 37.3% (2023 & 2024)
+17 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Drought exposureImproving
25% (2021) → 11% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−15 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedImproving
5.0 /1k (2021) → 7.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+53%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
New business applicationsImproving
6.2 /1k (2020) → 9.5 /1k (2025)
+53%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
21.7% (Dec 2021) → 30.0% (Aug 2026)
+8.3 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Income adjusted for local pricesImproving
$57,917 (2019) → $78,593 (2024)
+36%5 yearsUS $55,567 → $73,204

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, MN metro area improved on 15 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 6 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved15

Grocery stores+26%1.4 /10k → 1.8 /10k
Traffic deaths−20%9.1 /100k → 7.3 /100k
Restaurants+12%8.7 /10k → 9.8 /10k
Bachelor's++4.3 points38.7% → 43.0%
Real income+36%$57,917 → $78,593

Declined6

Transit use−1.9 points4.1% → 2.2%
Pharmacies−33%1.2 /10k → 0.8 /10k
Inequality+0.0110.442 → 0.453
Firearm deaths+15%6.7 /100k → 7.7 /100k
Suicides+15%10.5 /100k → 12.1 /100k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Rochester, MN metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	5.2 /10k2020	5.1 /10k2025	−1.2%	Little change	26%
Average commute time	20.1 min2015-2019	20.6 min2020-2024	+0.5 min	Within the margin of error	44%
Average weekly wage	$1,2392020	$1,5152025	+22%	Improved	38%
Bachelor's degree or higher	38.7%2015-2019	43.0%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Improved	83%
Broadband subscriptions	85.5%2015-2019	90.9%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Improved	11%
Child poverty rate	10.4%2015-2019	7.4%2020-2024	−3 points	Improved	57%
Distance to an airport	71 mi2020	71 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	84%
Drug overdose deaths	13.9 /100k2020	14.6 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+4.7%	Little change	25%
Effective property tax rate	1.07%2015-2019	0.99%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	34%
Firearm deaths	6.7 /100k2020	7.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+15%	Declined	29%
Grocery stores	1.4 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	+26%	Improved	92%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.0 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	+15%	Improved	65%
High school diploma or higher	94.1%2015-2019	94.9%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	32%
Homicide rate	2.4 /100k2020	1.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−29%	Improved	55%
Income adjusted for local prices	$57,9172019	$78,5932024	+36%	Improved	75%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4422015-2019	0.4532020-2024	+0.011	Declined	26%
Median household income	$73,6972015-2019	$91,8822020-2024	+25%	Improved	36%
New business applications	6.2 /1k2020	9.5 /1k2025	+53%	Improved	61%
Pharmacies	1.2 /10k2020	0.8 /10k2025	−33%	Declined	6%
Poverty rate	8.3%2015-2019	7.5%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Property crime rate	1,379 /100k2020	916 /100k2025	−34%	Improved	50%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.7 /10k2024	−3.6%	Little change	33%
Public transit commuters	4.1%2015-2019	2.2%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Declined	7%
Rent as share of income	27.5%2015-2019	28.6%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Rent-burdened households	43.6%2015-2019	46.8%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Restaurants and bars	8.7 /10k2020	9.8 /10k2025	+12%	Improved	84%
Suicide rate	10.5 /100k2020	12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+15%	Declined	32%
Traffic deaths	9.1 /100k2015-2019	7.3 /100k2020-2024	−20%	Improved	88%
Unemployment rate	5.5%2020	3.3%2025	−2.2 points	Improved	28%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.4%2015-2019	4.9%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Violent crime rate	168 /100k2020	124 /100k2025	−26%	Improved	68%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Rochester, MN metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Rochester, MN metro area 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, MN metro area itself moved −1.3 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

228,522 residents

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

92,880 households (±645)

Rochester, MN metro area
United States share

Under $25k10%9,577
$25k–50k14%12,718
$50k–75k16%15,120

Homes

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

Owners and renters

92,880 households (±645)

Rochester, MN metro area
United States share

Own74%69,050
Rent26%23,830

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

118,549 workers (±1,259)

Rochester, MN metro area
United States share

Drive alone69%81,685
Carpool9.1%10,790
Public transit2.2%2,583

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Rochester, MN employ 31,020 people. 5 pay a median above the US median and 3 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Rochester, MN by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Registered Nurses6,390 jobs	6,390	$101,660US $97,550	+4%	2.39×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides4,260 jobs	4,260

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.

Rochester, MN has 5,314 employer establishments, 232 for every 10,000 residents (0.93× the US rate of 248), with 121,840 paid employees at an average annual pay of $73,279. The Census Bureau also counts 16,604 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,314; 16,604 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 232; US 248
Paid employees: 121,840
Average annual pay: $73,279; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	431	18.8	1.22×About typical	3,872	$78,186	1,059
Restaurants and other eating places	381	16.6	0.91×About typical	7,179	$21,790	50
Ambulatory health care services	298	13	0.62×Fewer than typical	3,730	$58,509	698
Lessors of real estate	217	9.5	0.77×Fewer than typical	844	$49,647	1,922
Construction of buildings	196	8.6	1.13×About typical	1,116	$81,646	533
Religious organizations	192	8.4	1.51×More than typical	1,072	$23,080	—
Full-service restaurants	174	7.6	0.99×About typical	3,809	$23,760	24
Limited-service restaurants	150	6.5	0.82×About typical	2,546	$21,118	16
Services to buildings and dwellings	137	6	0.89×About typical	1,570	$37,530	700
Automotive repair and maintenance	129	5.6	1.12×About typical	594	$50,955	198
Building equipment contractors	126	5.5	0.91×About typical	1,853	$84,253	110
Offices of other health practitioners	120	5.2	0.86×About typical	576	$44,503	338

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 229,143 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $88.3M on contracts performed in Rochester, MN metro area: $382 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $88.3M; +12% vs FY2025
Per resident: $382; US $1,994
Sole-source: 33%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.7%; 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

Agricultural Marketing Service$54.3M61%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$28.9M33%
Department of Veterans Affairs$1.9M2.1%
Department of the Army$1.5M1.7%
Department of the Navy$1.1M1.2%
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency$325K0.4%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$90K0.1%
Health Resources and Services Administration$77.4K0.1%

Top recipients

WESCOTT AGRI PRODUCTS, INC$31.5M36%
MAYO CLINIC$30.2M34%
LAKESIDE FOODS INC$22.8M26%
SAINT ELIZABETH'S HOSPITAL OF WABASHA, INC.$1.2M1.4%
COMMUNITY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, INCORPORATED$651.7K0.7%

Spending by fiscal year

34.6MFY2017
62.7MFY2018
148.3MFY2019
267.7MFY2020
168.9MFY2021
140.3MFY2022
188.9MFY2023
130.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other food manufacturing · 3119$31.7M36%
General medical and surgical hospitals · 6221$27.8M31%
Animal slaughtering and processing · 3116$20.6M23%
Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$2.2M2.5%
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$1.9M2.1%
Scientific research and development services · 5417

Largest awards

COMMODITIES FOR USG FOOD DONATIONS: 2000009492/4400001826/4100028171/BEEF CAN-24/24 OZ$48.1M
LAKESIDE FOODS INC· Wabasha County, MN· Other equipment & supplies· Aug 3, 2023 – Feb 9, 2026· 123J1423F2022
COMMODITIES FOR USG FOOD DONATIONS: 2000009375/4100027873/PEACHES FRESH BAG PKG#12/2 LB,PEACHES FRESH TRAY PACK 18-20 LB$23.3M
WESCOTT AGRI PRODUCTS, INC· Wabasha County, MN· Other equipment & supplies· Jun 22, 2023 – Jul 7, 2026· 123J1423C1681
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY)$11.7M
MAYO CLINIC· Olmsted County, MN· Research & development· Jan 18, 2019 – Jun 9, 2026· N0001419C2007

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.7B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Rochester, MN metro area: $7,375 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $1.7B; +0.4% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,375; US $12,955
Loan face value: $61.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 3.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$956M56%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$90.7M5.3%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$80.3M4.7%
93.866 · Aging Research$59.8M3.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$55.7M3.3%
93.847 · Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research$43.3M2.5%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$40.2M2.4%
93.837 · Cardiovascular Diseases Research$32.5M1.9%

Top recipients (organizations)

MAYO CLINIC$327.2M19%
ROCHESTER, MN
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$44.8M2.6%
SAINT PAUL, MN
CITY OF ROCHESTER$9.4M0.6%
ROCHESTER, MN
ROCHESTER COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE$9.3M0.5%
ROCHESTER, MN
CHILD CARE RESOURCE & REFERRAL INC$7.7M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$1.1B66%
National Institutes of Health$327M19%
Department of Health and Human Services
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$103.2M6.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Farm Service Agency$52.3M3.1%
Department of Agriculture
Federal Highway Administration

Assistance by fiscal year

1.4BFY2021
1.1BFY2022
1.3BFY2023
1.6BFY2024
1.7BFY2025
1.7BFY2026

County aggregates

72%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Rochester, MN

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

RochesterPrincipal city122,330

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Minnesota

Areas based in Minnesota, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M40340

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved15

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Rochester, MN metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Rochester, MN

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Minnesota

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved15

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type