While big cities like Rochester offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Rochester. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Rochester without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Rochester are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Rochester area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Rochester for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Rochester? Victor ranks as the best suburb of Rochester for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Victor, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Rochester ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about New York:
The 10 Best Rochester Suburbs To Live For 2024
1. Victor, NY
/10
Population: 2,722
Median Income: $89,911
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on Victor: Real Estate
Victor is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Rochester area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Victor.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $89,911 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Rochester region. And only 1.36% are out of work. Homes average more than $313,116 each.
2. Spencerport, NY
/10
Population: 3,670
Median Income: $77,500
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.4%
More on Spencerport: Real Estate
Spencerport is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Rochester for 2024.
It ranks 5th for incomes in the area and only 0.6% of residents lack insurance, good for best.
/10
Population: 5,442
Median Income: $95,354
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 14.3%
More on Fairport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Here in Fairport, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Rochester metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Fairport.
If you live in Fairport, sure it’s great!!
4. Honeoye Falls, NY
/10
Population: 2,774
Median Income: $78,235
Unemployment Rate: 10.1%
Poverty Rate: 6.3%
More on Honeoye Falls: Real Estate
Honeoye Falls ranks as the 4th best suburb of Rochester for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Honeoye Falls and the schools are some of the best around.
5. Lima, NY
/10
Population: 2,243
Median Income: $71,719
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 6.6%
More on Lima: Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Lima.
Lima gets kudos for having the 12th most expensive homes in the Rochester area, where houses sell for an average of $212,042. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
6. Caledonia, NY
/10
Population: 2,385
Median Income: $85,208
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 6.0%
More on Caledonia: Crime | Real Estate
Caledonia is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 2.7%.
According to online reports, Caledonia is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Rochester area, meaning you need to get in soon.
7. Palmyra, NY
/10
Population: 3,326
Median Income: $72,976
Unemployment Rate: 0.5%
Poverty Rate: 11.4%
More on Palmyra: Crime | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Palmyra.
Palmyra schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 20.9 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 5,998
Median Income: $75,098
Unemployment Rate: 7.6%
Poverty Rate: 11.1%
More on Hilton: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Hilton is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 4.73% of people lack insurance, good for 15th in the area.
9. Scottsville, NY
/10
Population: 2,482
Median Income: $70,556
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 11.7%
More on Scottsville: Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Scottsville?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 5,725
Median Income: $63,833
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 12.2%
More on Webster: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Webster.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Rochester for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Rochester was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Rochester.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 19 suburbs to evaluate around Rochester.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 19 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Rochester.” We’re lookin’ at you, Victor.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Rochester suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Rochester ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Rochester are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Rochester but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more New York reading, check out:
- Best Places To Retire In New York
- Richest Cities In New York
- Safest Places In New York According To Science
Table: Best Rochester Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victor, NY | 2,722 | $89,911 | $313,116 |
| 2 | Spencerport, NY | 3,670 | $77,500 | $265,723 |
| 3 | Fairport, NY | 5,442 | $95,354 | $335,276 |
| 4 | Honeoye Falls, NY | 2,774 | $78,235 | $385,585 |
| 5 | Lima, NY | 2,243 | $71,719 | $212,042 |
| 6 | Caledonia, NY | 2,385 | $85,208 | $184,359 |
| 7 | Palmyra, NY | 3,326 | $72,976 | $202,709 |
| 8 | Hilton, NY | 5,998 | $75,098 | $256,283 |
| 9 | Scottsville, NY | 2,482 | $70,556 | $227,485 |
| 10 | Webster, NY | 5,725 | $63,833 | $327,162 |
| 11 | Canandaigua, NY | 10,562 | $59,144 | $250,446 |
| 12 | Avon, NY | 3,388 | $71,958 | $210,158 |
| 13 | Clifton Springs, NY | 2,042 | $67,500 | $213,098 |
| 14 | Le Roy, NY | 4,332 | $62,833 | $195,429 |
| 15 | East Rochester, NY | 6,321 | $65,134 | $183,684 |
| 16 | Geneseo, NY | 7,713 | $37,701 | $232,304 |
| 17 | Brockport, NY | 7,192 | $46,468 | $233,118 |
| 18 | Newark, NY | 9,076 | $56,142 | $168,857 |
| 19 | Albion, NY | 5,428 | $41,985 | $89,529 |