Rochester vs St. Paul
The short version
- Rochester is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 13% lower than in the St. Paul area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $294,500 in St. Paul and $310,500 in Rochester.
- Households earn more in Rochester ($89,389 vs $73,394 median).
- Rochester is growing faster: +2.4% since 2020 vs -1.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Rochester (17 vs 21 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Rochester, MN | St. Paul, MN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 124,292 | 306,684 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.4% | -1.5% |
| People per square mile | 2,193 | 5,900 |
| Median age | 36.3 | 33.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 51% | 44% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $89,389 | $73,394 |
| Median home value | $310,500 | $294,500 |
| Home value to income | 3.5× | 4.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,399 | $1,281 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.8 | 104.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 78.6 | 111.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,100 | $78,600 |
| Homeowners | 65% | 53% |
| Top state income tax | 9.85% | 9.85% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.14% | 8.14% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.4 | 21.1 |
| Work from home | 15% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| Poverty rate | 8.5% | 15.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 23° / 7° | 24° / 9° |
| July high / low | 80° / 61° | 83° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 35 in | 32 in |
| Snowfall per year | 53 in | 51 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 5 | 13 |
| Nights below freezing | 156 | 147 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 82.3 | 94.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 69% | 55% |
| Home prices, past year | +3% | +2.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +32.6% | +27.3% |
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: Rochester: May and July to September. St. Paul: May and July to September.
Full monthly tables: Rochester weather by month and St. Paul weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,100 in Rochester and $78,600 in St. Paul. Moving from Rochester to St. Paul, you would need about $86,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Rochester and St. Paul
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Rochester and St. Paul.
Which would you pick?
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