The Greater Rochester, NY Region is a history-rich Erie Canal boomtown that today ranks among the top knowledge-based economic regions in the world. We're proud of the various honors Rochester has received for our business environment and exceptional quality of life.
Business
Rochester Poised for Greatness in 2012
• TheStreet.com names Rochester, NY one of "10 Cities Poised for Greatness in 2012" due to our community's diversified economy, relatively low unemployment ,and stable real estate market. (Jan 2012)
Brookings Institution Ranks Rochester among best metro economies in world
• Brookings Institution ranks Rochester the 46th best metro economy in the world and 3rd best in the U.S., trailing only Houston and Dallas and outperforming areas such as New York City, Boston and Washington. This ranking is based on 2010-2011 growth rates for employment, income and output of goods and services. (Jan 2012)
Greater Rochester Ranked First in Job Growth by Business Facilities Magazine
• Greater Rochester ranked first in job growth by Business Facilities Magazine, a leading trade publication targeted at site selectors. The list measures job growth in mid-sized metropolitan statistical areas. (July 2011)
Genesee County Ranked Third Best Food Processing Region
• Genesee County was ranked third best food processing region in the country, based on metropolitan food processing industry growth. (Business Facilities Magazine, July 2011)
Rochester Ranked Among Smartest Cities in America
• The Daily Beast has ranked Rochester one of the top 10 smartest cities in America. This ranking is based on the education attainment levels of our workforce as well as our intellectual environment. It underscores the fact that a highly-skilled and educated workforce is a key to long term economic success.
Check out the full ranking here.
Businessweek Names Rochester One of the Top 20 Best Places to Start Over
• The diversity of our economy as well as the strength of our colleges and universities are some of the reasons Businessweek selected Rochester as one of the Top 20 Best Places to Start Over in 2010. (Nov 2010)
Click here to read the full story.
Top 5 for patents per capita
• Based on Forbes' analysis of the most innovative cities in the US, Rochester is ranked 5th for patents per capita.(2010)
Business Facilities Gives Rochester, NY High Ranking
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Business Facilities chose Rochester as one of the top places in the country to do business because of our alternative energy leadership and top-ranked Intellectual Density Quotient (IDQ). IDQ measures a region's potential for productivity and sustainable economic prosperity. (June 2010)
Forbes Magazine ranks Rochester the 7th Fastest Recovering City
• Diversified industry and relatively stable housing give Rochesterians a measure of economic security. (Dec 2009)
Rochester Named One of the Strongest Job Markets in US
• Bloomberg Businessweek recognized Rochester as the 15th strongest job market in the country. (June 2010)
Brookings Institute consistently ranks Rochester's economy among strongest in nation
• Brookings Institute reports Rochester's economy is one of the "Top 20 Strongest-Performing Metro Areas" in the country. Rochester is one of only 9 metros to be consistently ranked in Brookings' Top 20 in the past 2 1/2 years. (September 2011)
Forbes Magazine Ranks Rochester one of the 100 Best Bang for the Buck Cities
• A solid housing market, relatively stable employment, enviable cost of living and quick commutes make the Rochester Region among the country's most affordable to live. (Dec 2009)
Abundance of Fresh Water
• 7% of the world's fresh water supply is right here in the Greater Rochester, NY Region. This plentiful and inexpensive supply of water makes the Rochester Region an attractive business location.
Technology
One of America's Most Innovative Cities
• Forbes recently ranked Rochester, NY one of America's most innovative cities. (June 2010)
Click here to see more information.
Rochester one of 35 Innovation Hubs in the Country
• Atlantic magazine lists Rochester as one of the 35 innovation hubs in the country based on the number of new start-up companies, accepted patents, and number of entrepreneurs per million people.
We are one of only six cities in the U.S. to have multiple research centers, including University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology. (2011)
Ranked 1st for Utility Patents Issued
• Ranked 1st for Utility Patents Issued to Companies or Individuals per 1,000 Workers. Rochester boasts 2.33 patents per 1,000 workers - the U.S. average is only 0.40 patents per 1,000 workers.
Metropolitan New Economy Index: Benchmarking Economic Transformation in the Nation's Metropolitan Area, 2001
Ranked 1st among 125 for Patent Registration
• Ranked 1st among 125 world regions for Patent Registration.
World Knowledge Competitiveness Index 2003-2004: Benchmarking the Globe's Leading Knowledge Economy Regions, Robert Huggins Business and Economic Policy Press
One of the Top 20 Tech Cities in the U.S.
• Popular Science ranks Rochester 19th of 140 metropolitan areas in the magazine's "Top Tech cities" rankings.
Popular Science, March 2005
"Overall Innovation Capacity"
• Ranked 5th for "Overall Innovation Capacity" upon the basis of 1. Jobs in high-tech industries 2. Degrees granted in science and engineering 3. Number of patents 4. Academic research and development funding 5. Venture capital invested.
Metropolitan New Economy Index: Benchmarking Economic Transformation in the Nation's Metropolitan Areas, 2001
Education
10 Rochester Area High Schools Among Top 3% in US
• Ten Greater Rochester Region schools make Newsweek's "America's Best High Schools" list -- representing the top 3% in US. Pittsford Sutherland (73) and Pittsford Mendon (99) are among the top 100 best high schools. (Source: Newsweek, June 2011)
Local High Schools Among Top 100 Best High Schools in America
• U.S. News published a list of America's Best High Schools and ranked Pittsford Mendon (#69) and Pittsford Sutherland (#84) out of 21,000 high schools. (Source: U.S. News & World Report, 2010)
Rochester Among Best College Towns in U.S.
• Rochester, NY was ranked the eighth Best Mid-sized Metro Area College town in U.S. by the American Institute for Economic Research
(2010-2011 College Destination Index)
SUNY Geneseo one of the "Best Value" public colleges in US
• Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine ranks SUNY Geneseo 2nd in nation in "Best Value" among public colleges for out-of-state students; 7th for in-state students. (January 2011)
U.S. News & World Report Ranks 6 Rochester Schools Among the Best
• Six Greater Rochester Region schools appear on U.S. News and World Report's rankings of top regional and national universities: U of R (25th overall), RIT (7th Best Universities Master's), SUNY Brockport (57th, Master's Universities in Northern Region), Nazareth College (26th Best Regional Universities in Northern Region), SUNY Geneseo (8th, Up and Coming Regional University in Rochester Region), St. John Fisher College (143 on national list). (September 2011)
Eastman School of Music ranks 1st
• Eastman School of Music ranks 1st in the nation for its graduate music programs "America's Best Colleges."
US News and Report, 2004
"Ranked #6 Nationally Among Large Sized Metros"
• "Rochester, NY, Metro Area Public Schools Ranked #6 Nationally Among Large Sized Metros."
Expansion Management, December 2007
U of R's Simon School of Business Delivers on Investment
• Bloomberg Businessweek ranks U of R's Simon School of Business the top private U.S. business school for return on investment. (January 2011)
University of Rochester ranked 17th for total R&D expenditures
• University of Rochester reported $375 million in R&D expenditures, making it 17th on National Science Foundation's list of the top 20 private universities and colleges for FY 2008.
The Princeton Review Names RIT Among "The Best 373 Colleges"
• RIT is recognized as one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. (August 2010)
Living and Culture
Best City for Commuters
• Kiplinger names Rochester the "Best City in the U.S. for Commuters." This ranking was based on our community's low congestion cost (a measurement of wasted time and fuel calculated by the Texas Transportation Institute) along with average length of commute, local gas prices, yearly delays per commuter, and public transit use. (March 2011)
Rochester is the #1 Most Livable Bargain Market
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MSN rated Rochester, NY the #1 most livable bargain market in the US. "Rochester provides a lot of bang for your buck. It has big-city culture, a highly educated population, picturesque scenery, affordable housing and an expanding high-tech job base."
Rochester one of five markets to watch in 2012
• Trulia.com names Rochester, NY one of the "5 Real Estate Markets to Watch in 2012." (Jan 2012)
Local Housing Market Tops for Affordability
• Rochester has the most affordable housing among the 52 major markets around the US. (source: Business First of Buffalo/US Census Bureau, April 2010)
3rd Best Place to Buy a Home
• Zillow.com rated Rochester the third best place to buy a home due to a number of factors: affordability of homes, home value increases, low unemployment, and low % homes in foreclosure. (Jan 2011)
Finger Lakes Wine Country is a Top Food Trend
• The Today Show names the Finger Lakes Wine Country as a Top Food Trend for 2012, stating 2012 is the year wines in America outside of California will be a part of the national conversation and gain more acclaim. (Jan 2012)
Rochester is Tops for Single Moms
• Fox News/Zillow rank Rochester the "Best Place for Single Moms to Live" based on a number of factors including the strong job market, affordability, and good public schools. (May 2011)
Easy Commute Time -- Get Anywhere in 20 minutes
• Average daily commute time of 20.4 minutes - Monroe County, NY. US Census, 2009 American Community Survey
Rochester is the Best Place to Buy a Home
• The Rochester Region is the best place in the US to purchase a home, according to Forbes.com and Zillow. This top ranking is based on several factors including sffordability; the unemployment rate; Rochester's minuscule foreclosure rate; and year-over-year housing price trends. (May 2011)
Rochester is America's 4th Most Affordable City
• According to Forbes, your take-home pay will go farther in Rochester. Our community's diversified economy and history of sustained low costs make it an affordable location. (Forbes, November 2010)
Finger Lakes Riesling Wines Among the Best in the World
• Finger Lakes Region ranked one of the Top Four Riesling Regions in the world. (by Culinary Institute of America's Karen MacNeil, summer 2010)
Rochester Tops for Volunteerism
• Rochester ranks in the Top 10 in the nation for volunteer hours per resident. (source: Corporation for National & Community Service, 2009)
Named 6th most livable city in the U.S.
• "Rochester named 6th most livable city in the U.S."
Places Rated Almanac 2007
Rochester Homes 32.5% More Afforable
• At $112,200, the median home sales price is 32.5% more affordable than the national average. Approximately 88% of area homes are affordable for our region's median income. National Association of Realtors (Q1, 2010), NAHB Housing Opportunity Index (Q1, 2010)
Best Quality of Life Ranking
• The Rochester Region was recently ranked #1 for Overall Quality of Life among metros with a population of more than 1 million.
Source: Expansion Management, May/June 2007
Rochester Area Ranks 3rd for Raising A Family
• Forbes magazine ranked the Rochester area the third-best metropolitan region in the country for raising a family. This ranking is based on seven criteria: cost of living, prevalence of homeownership, median household income, housing costs, commute time, crime and high school graduation rates. The cost of living and short commute times in our region helped elevate Rochester's ranking. (June 2010)
For women's health, Rochester area ranks 12th best
• The Rochester metro area is the 12th healthiest place for women among the 100 biggest metro areas nationwide, according to the December 2007 issue of Self magazine. This ranking is based on 52 categories of data including exercise and eating habits, rates of heart disease, depression and crime.
Top 50 cities in America
• Richard Florida's National Best Seller book titled, "The Rise of the Creative Class: and how it's transforming work, leisure, community and every day life" ranks the Top 50 cities in America where the most creative people live. Rochester ranked 4th in innovation, and earned an overall creative ranking of 25th.
Health
14th in the US for "near universal" health care
• The Daily Beast ranks Rochester 14th in the nation in "near-universal" health care with 91 percent covered by health care policies
Rochester is One of the Healthiest Communities in America
• Rochester offers quality, low cost health care that is 15% less expensive than the national average.
"One of America's Best Hospitals in the Nation"
• Strong Memorial Hospital, consistently recognized in U.S. News and Reports as "One of America's Best Hospitals in the Nation," is widely known for its cardiac care. It operates the only heart transplant program in Western New York and is also nationally recognized for neurosurgery, urology, gynecology, cancer and pediatric specialties.
"Least Stressful City"
• Ranked 11th among 100 Metro Areas for "Least Stressful City". Sperling Stress Index criteria includes: unemployment rate, divorce rate, commute time, violent and property crime rates, suicide rate, alcohol consumption, self-reported "poor mental health", and number of cloudy days.
Sperlings's Best Places, 2004
"Healthiest City for Men"
• Ranked the 3rd "Healthiest City for Men" upon the basis of health, environment, and fitness.
Men's Health Magazine, 2003
Recreation
Finger Lakes Region Ranked First
• Rochester's Finger Lakes Region was named the top lakeside retreat in the world by the editors of Shermans Travel, outperforming contenders such as Lake Como in Italy and Lake Mead in Nevada.
The 11 Finger Lakes "are interspersed by pastoral landscapes of quaint waterfront villages and scenic vistas of gushing waterfalls and rocky gorges," the editors wrote of our region.
(Source: Shermans Travel, August 2009)
Rochester has best private country club in US
• Oak Hill Country Club named best private club in US, based on Golf World Magazine reader survey. (source: Golf World Magazine, September 2009)
Rochester One of Top Fifty Bike-Friendly Cities
• Bicycling Magazine recently named Rochester, NY one of America's Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities. (Spring 2010)
Rochester Named One of the 10 Best Golf Cities in America
• Golf Magazine and the National Golf Founction named Rochester, NY one of the 10 Best Golf Cities in America. The ranking is based on seven factors including affordability and number of quality courses as well as the weather. "You can play more gorgeous golf for less than in any other big American city."
Click here to read the full story.
Strong Museum top 10 ranking
• The Strong is ranked as one of the top 10 Children's Museums in the nation,
Child Magazine. It is also home to the National Toy Hall of Fame.
Best Minor League Sports Market In America
• Rochester, NY was rated the best minor league sports market in America by
Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal, July 2005.