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.
$90,227 median income · $348,674 median home price
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 1.9% are out of work. Homes average more than $348,674 each.
$107,009 median income · $396,821 median home price
Fairport is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Rochester for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 1.3% of residents lack insurance, good for 4th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$81,029 median income · $319,668 median home price
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.
Data | Movers
$96,477 median income · $326,034 median home price
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.
$83,563 median income · $207,407 median home price
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.
$69,866 median income · $269,355 median home price
Located in
Monroe County, New York
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$82,162 median income · $444,773 median home price
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.
$87,377 median income · $300,281 median home price
Located in
Monroe County, New York
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 4.9% of people lack insurance, good for 16th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$69,420 median income · $243,593 median home price
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.
$70,495 median income · $386,505 median home price
Located in
Monroe County, New York
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
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
New York statewide median: 6.4%
New York statewide median: 14.0%
On the map
Where the best Rochester suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
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.
The full plate
Table: Best Rochester Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victor | 4.86 | 2,687 | $90,227 | $348,674 |
| 2 | Fairport | 5.64 | 5,403 | $107,009 | $396,821 |
| 3 | Spencerport | 5.93 | 3,630 | $81,029 | $319,668 |
| 4 | Churchville | 6.00 | 2,312 | $96,477 | $326,034 |
| 5 | Caledonia | 8.29 | 2,120 | $83,563 | $207,407 |
| 6 | Brockport | 9.21 | 7,277 | $69,866 | $269,355 |
| 7 | Honeoye Falls | 9.71 | 2,765 | $82,162 | $444,773 |
| 8 | Hilton | 10.21 | 5,968 | $87,377 | $300,281 |
| 9 | Lima | 10.64 | 2,064 | $69,420 | $243,593 |
| 10 | Webster | 10.71 | 5,718 | $70,495 | $386,505 |
| 11 | Scottsville | 10.79 | 2,723 | $80,024 | $264,577 |
| 12 | Le Roy | 10.86 | 4,301 | $58,818 | $220,100 |
| 13 | Palmyra | 10.86 | 3,287 | $64,983 | $230,137 |
| 14 | East Rochester | 11.57 | 6,218 | $73,344 | $227,077 |
| 15 | Canandaigua | 11.71 | 10,514 | $64,929 | $274,506 |
| 16 | Avon | 13.07 | 3,417 | $71,771 | $218,311 |
| 17 | Clifton Springs | 13.29 | 2,273 | $64,565 | $241,542 |
| 18 | Geneseo | 13.50 | 7,701 | $46,589 | $271,031 |
| 19 | Newark | 15.14 | 8,991 | $60,006 | $196,938 |
| 20 | Albion | 18.00 | 5,506 | $41,581 | $98,611 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 20 suburbs within 30 miles of Rochester.
Summary
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 Victor, Fairport, Spencerport, Churchville, Caledonia, Brockport, Honeoye Falls, Hilton, Lima, and Webster.
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. Not sold on New York? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Rochester FAQs
What is the best suburb of Rochester?
Victor is the best suburb of Rochester for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Fairport and Spencerport are next.
What are the best suburbs of Rochester?
The best suburbs of Rochester are Victor, Fairport, Spencerport, Churchville, Caledonia, Brockport, Honeoye Falls, Hilton, Lima, and Webster. We ranked all 20 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Victor?
The median household income in Victor is $90,227 and the median home costs $348,674. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Rochester?
Any place within 30 miles of Rochester qualifies. 20 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Rochester suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Victor, takes the crown.
