What share of people in Rochester are on low incomes?

50.0% of residents of Rochester had incomes below twice the poverty line in 2020-2024, 28th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 28.2%; New York: 28.4%).

Poverty and living standards in Rochester, New York: official figures

27.8% of residents of Rochester (55,866 people) had incomes below the federal poverty line in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, 18th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 12.5%; New York: 14.0%).

Poverty rate

27.8%

2020-2024

Child poverty rate (under 18)

41.3%

2020-2024

Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent

53.3%

2020-2024

How many children live in poverty in Rochester?

41.3% of children under 18 in Rochester lived below the poverty line in 2020-2024 (17,692 children), 9th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 16.1%; New York: 18.3%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

What is the poverty rate for older people in Rochester?

By age, the poverty rate in Rochester was 40.7% for children under 6 and 22.8% for residents aged 60 and over in 2020-2024 (US: 17.2% and 11.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Rochester live in deep poverty?

25,642 people in Rochester, 12.8% of residents, had incomes below half the poverty line in 2020-2024, 47th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 6.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many renters in Rochester are cost-burdened?

53.3% of renting households in Rochester spent 30% or more of their income on rent and utilities in 2020-2024 (29,376 households), 380th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 51.1%; New York: 52.1%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many households in Rochester spend half their income on rent?

30.7% of renting households in Rochester spent half or more of their income on rent and utilities, 195th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 25.9%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Rochester are food insecure?

An estimated 29.5% of adults in Rochester experienced food insecurity in the past year, joint 48th highest of 592 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate, and 24.7% housing insecurity (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How Rochester compares with other cities in the United States

Residents below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Rochester ranks 18 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents below the poverty line
15	Syracuse	28.8%
16	Reading	28.7%
17	Jackson	27.9%
18	Rochester	27.8%
19	Pharr	27.6%
20	Albany	27.5%
21	Utica	27.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Children under 18 below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Rochester ranks 9 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Children under 18 below the poverty line
6	Harrisburg	44.0%
7	Syracuse	44.0%
8	New Brunswick	43.5%
9	Rochester	41.3%
10	Jackson	40.9%
11	Dayton	40.6%
12	Troy	40.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Residents with incomes below half the poverty line (2020-2024)

Rochester ranks 47 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents with incomes below half the poverty line
44	Baton Rouge	13.0%
45	Hartford	13.0%
46	Bowling Green	13.0%
47	Rochester	12.8%
48	Albany	12.7%
49	Manhattan	12.6%
50	Fayetteville	12.6%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent (2020-2024)

Rochester ranks 380 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent
377	Framingham	53.4%
378	Gilroy	53.4%
379	Palatine	53.3%
380	Rochester	53.3%
381	Rancho Cordova	53.3%
382	Conroe	53.3%
383	Racine	53.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate) (2023)

Rochester ranks 48 of 592, highest first.

Rank	City	Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate)
45	Perris	29.9%
46	Waterbury	29.8%
47	Merced	29.7%
48	Rochester	29.5%
49	Salinas	29.5%
50	Baldwin Park	29.3%
51	Utica	29.3%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

More on Rochester: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · all cities in the United States

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: PLACES: Place Data (GIS Friendly Format), 2025 release: model-based age-adjusted prevalence among adults, for every place (data.cdc.gov API, columns used), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b2174bcc660f…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B17020: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months by Age (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 e79a292f34605560506b7f4b5c8ea242c9d6e203c8e95ba675565ddb7758571e), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 41bab025d213…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table C17002: Ratio of Income to Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 dc3dc675113683ec3ff2a0e29a840f43e03268151d7f14b922658d7306da5187), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 31aa364bfddf…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25070: Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 862ccc17d913305d11e6f802ce4518d76b30585ea0b05b251cd8cf21f8661386), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4f8d499d9e95…)

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