Rochester has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Rochester without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Rochester: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Rochester for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Rochester? Victor ranks as the best suburb of Rochester for 2026 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 2026
1. Victor, NY
/10
Population: 2,687
Median Income: $90,227
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 4.4%
More on Victor: Movers
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 $90,227 a year, which is the 3rd highest in the Rochester region. And only 1.92% are out of work. Homes average more than $348,674 each.
/10
Population: 5,403
Median Income: $107,009
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Poverty Rate: 12.6%
More on Fairport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Fairport is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Rochester for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 1.33% of residents lack insurance, good for 4th best.
If you live in Fairport, sure it’s great!!
3. Spencerport, NY
/10
Population: 3,630
Median Income: $81,029
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Spencerport: Movers
Here in Spencerport, 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 Spencerport.
4. Churchville, NY
/10
Population: 2,312
Median Income: $96,477
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
Poverty Rate: 5.1%
More on Churchville: Movers
Churchville ranks as the 4th best suburb of Rochester for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Churchville and the schools are some of the best around.
5. Caledonia, NY
/10
Population: 2,120
Median Income: $83,563
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 4.7%
More on Caledonia: Crime | Movers
Coming in as the fifth best is Caledonia.
Caledonia gets kudos for having the 18th most expensive homes in the Rochester area, where houses sell for an average of $207,407. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
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Population: 7,277
Median Income: $69,866
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 16.1%
More on Brockport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Brockport 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, Brockport is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Rochester area, meaning you need to get in soon.
7. Honeoye Falls, NY
/10
Population: 2,765
Median Income: $82,162
Unemployment Rate: 11.0%
Poverty Rate: 10.3%
More on Honeoye Falls: Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Honeoye Falls.
Honeoye Falls 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 14.9 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 5,968
Median Income: $87,377
Unemployment Rate: 6.2%
Poverty Rate: 12.6%
More on Hilton: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
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 4.91% of people lack insurance, good for 16th in the area.
9. Lima, NY
/10
Population: 2,064
Median Income: $69,420
Unemployment Rate: 5.3%
Poverty Rate: 6.0%
More on Lima: Movers
Is ‘Everything Better In Lima?’
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: 5,718
Median Income: $70,495
Unemployment Rate: 5.6%
Poverty Rate: 10.7%
More on Webster: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 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 2026
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 2020-2024 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 20 suburbs to evaluate around Rochester.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 20 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 2026. This report is our eleventh 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 2026
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 | 2,687 | $90,227 | $348,674 |
| 2 | Fairport, NY | 5,403 | $107,009 | $396,820 |
| 3 | Spencerport, NY | 3,630 | $81,029 | $319,668 |
| 4 | Churchville, NY | 2,312 | $96,477 | $326,033 |
| 5 | Caledonia, NY | 2,120 | $83,563 | $207,407 |
| 6 | Brockport, NY | 7,277 | $69,866 | $269,354 |
| 7 | Honeoye Falls, NY | 2,765 | $82,162 | $444,772 |
| 8 | Hilton, NY | 5,968 | $87,377 | $300,280 |
| 9 | Lima, NY | 2,064 | $69,420 | $243,592 |
| 10 | Webster, NY | 5,718 | $70,495 | $386,505 |
| 11 | Scottsville, NY | 2,723 | $80,024 | $264,576 |
| 12 | Le Roy, NY | 4,301 | $58,818 | $220,099 |
| 13 | Palmyra, NY | 3,287 | $64,983 | $230,137 |
| 14 | East Rochester, NY | 6,218 | $73,344 | $227,076 |
| 15 | Canandaigua, NY | 10,514 | $64,929 | $274,506 |
| 16 | Avon, NY | 3,417 | $71,771 | $218,310 |
| 17 | Clifton Springs, NY | 2,273 | $64,565 | $241,542 |
| 18 | Geneseo, NY | 7,701 | $46,589 | $271,031 |
| 19 | Newark, NY | 8,991 | $60,006 | $196,938 |
| 20 | Albion, NY | 5,506 | $41,581 | $98,611 |
