What’s the best part of Rochester? It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Rochester are the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.
Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Rochester neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?
If you’re thinking of moving to New York and Rochester is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2026.
$63,772 median income · $164,000 median home value
$62,473 median income · $261,650 median home value
$106,229 median income · $230,200 median home value
$85,448 median income · $130,250 median home value
$54,360 median income · $226,500 median home value
$62,846 median income · $114,312 median home value
$61,461 median income · $72,300 median home value
$44,152 median income · $135,950 median home value
$73,884 median income · $106,800 median home value
$39,924 median income · $206,300 median home value
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New York’s statewide median.
New York statewide median: $85,974
New York statewide median: $507,794
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Rochester, NY neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Rochester, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 33 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Rochester.” We’re lookin’ at you, Ellwanger-Barry.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Rochester, New York has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Rochester.
The full plate
Table: Best Rochester neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ellwanger-Barry | 4,276 | $164,000 | $63,772 |
| 2 | Park Avenue | 6,372 | $261,650 | $62,473 |
| 3 | Cobbs Hill | 1,469 | $230,200 | $106,229 |
| 4 | Browncroft | 3,413 | $130,250 | $85,448 |
| 5 | East Avenue | 6,890 | $226,500 | $54,360 |
| 6 | Culver-Winton | 7,013 | $114,312 | $62,846 |
| 7 | Homestead Heights | 3,495 | $72,300 | $61,461 |
| 8 | Swillburg | 1,776 | $135,950 | $44,152 |
| 9 | Genesee Valley Park | 55 | $106,800 | $73,884 |
| 10 | Corn Hill | 2,395 | $206,300 | $39,924 |
| 11 | Central Business District | 5,015 | $245,350 | $53,569 |
| 12 | 19th Ward | 19,116 | $81,181 | $47,842 |
| 13 | South Wedge | 3,650 | $146,540 | $48,928 |
| 14 | Strong | 4,246 | $153,350 | $54,846 |
| 15 | Northland-Lyceum | 5,565 | $91,180 | $45,906 |
| 16 | Atlantic-University | 1,874 | $137,933 | $38,480 |
| 17 | Maplewood | 18,384 | $76,412 | $43,339 |
| 18 | Charlotte | 5,134 | $102,383 | $37,386 |
| 19 | Beechwood | 7,623 | $64,670 | $37,591 |
| 20 | Pearl-Meigs-Monroe | 3,322 | $108,733 | $35,344 |
| 21 | Highland | 5,403 | $142,467 | $44,419 |
| 22 | North Marketview Heights | 4,924 | $39,200 | $22,091 |
| 23 | Genesee-Jefferson | 4,523 | $43,871 | $22,632 |
| 24 | Lyell-Otis | 8,670 | $52,625 | $30,686 |
| 25 | Plymouth-Exchange | 3,471 | $41,380 | $19,068 |
| 26 | Mayor’s Heights | 2,406 | $102,625 | $22,113 |
| 27 | Edgerton | 7,542 | $46,075 | $22,720 |
| 28 | Susan B Anthony | 755 | $147,750 | $19,618 |
| 29 | South Marketview Heights | 3,378 | $46,800 | $20,220 |
| 30 | Dutchtown | 3,516 | $49,100 | $22,697 |
| 31 | Upper Falls | 6,300 | $30,600 | $20,382 |
| 32 | Charles House | 2,575 | $55,550 | $20,658 |
| 33 | Best | 514 | $62,567 | $18,122 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 33 Rochester neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Rochester
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Rochester where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Rochester are Ellwanger-Barry, Park Avenue, Cobbs Hill, Browncroft, East Avenue, Culver-Winton, Homestead Heights, Swillburg, Genesee Valley Park, and Corn Hill.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Rochester aren’t all good. Best takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Rochester.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on New York? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Rochester FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Rochester?
Ellwanger-Barry is the best neighborhood in Rochester for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Park Avenue and Cobbs Hill are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Rochester?
The best neighborhoods in Rochester are Ellwanger-Barry, Park Avenue, Cobbs Hill, Browncroft, East Avenue, Culver-Winton, Homestead Heights, Swillburg, Genesee Valley Park, and Corn Hill. We ranked all 33 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is Ellwanger-Barry?
The median household income in Ellwanger-Barry is $63,772 and the median home costs $164,000. The best blocks in Rochester rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Rochester neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, Ellwanger-Barry, takes the top spot.
Which Rochester neighborhood ranked last?
Best came in last of the 33 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Rochester the numbers put it there.
