Ithaca vs Rochester
The short version
- Rochester is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Ithaca area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $139,600 in Rochester and $342,700 in Ithaca.
- Rochester gets far more snow: 102 inches a year vs 63.
- Ithaca is growing faster: +4.8% since 2020 vs -2.4%.
Side by side
| Ithaca, NY | Rochester, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 33,632 | 206,108 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.8% | -2.4% |
| People per square mile | 6,241 | 5,763 |
| Median age | 23.3 | 33.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 68% | 30% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $48,784 | $47,213 |
| Median home value | $342,700 | $139,600 |
| Home value to income | 7.0× | 3.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,447 | $1,081 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.3 | 97.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 128.4 | 87.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,500 | $72,800 |
| Homeowners | 30% | 38% |
| Top state income tax | 10.9% | 10.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.54% | 8.54% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.7 | 19.3 |
| Work from home | 25% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 9% | 6% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.3% | 7.9% |
| Poverty rate | 30.4% | 27.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 31° / 15° | 33° / 19° |
| July high / low | 80° / 58° | 83° / 62° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 35 in |
| Snowfall per year | 63 in | 102 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 5 | 8 |
| Nights below freezing | 148 | 129 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 73.9 | 93.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 93% | 74% |
| Home prices, past year | -5.2% | +4.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +41.6% | +61.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Ithaca: May to September. Rochester: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Ithaca weather by month and Rochester weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,500 in Ithaca and $72,800 in Rochester. Moving from Ithaca to Rochester, you would need about $70,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Ithaca and Rochester
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Ithaca and Rochester.
Which would you pick?
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