Business
Brookings Institute ranks Rochester Among Top Metros for Patents
• Greater Rochester ranks 13th among metropolitan regions for the number of patents issued per million residents, with the largest subcategory of patents granted for optics research.
According to Brookings Institute report, "San Francisco, Boston, Austin, Seattle, San Diego, Portland, Rochester, and Minneapolis are in the upper tier of large metros that produce patents at high volumes and rates."
(Source: Brookings Institute 2013 report "Patenting Prosperity: Invention and Economic Performance in the United States and its Metropolitan Areas.")
The Most Innovative Cities in America
• Rochester, NY is recognized as one of the
25 most innovative cities in America based on patent registration and advanced degrees. (Source: 24/7 Wall St. 2018)
Abundance of Fresh Water
• 7% of the world's fresh water supply is right here in the Greater Rochester, NY Region. No water rationing or water rights fees and rates well below the national average make our region attractive for food processing, agriculture and advanced manufacturing.
Technology
#1 in the U.S. for patents issued per 1000 workers
• Rochester is ranked #1 in the U.S. for patents issued per 1000 workers (source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, April 2015)
Rochester's Tech Economy Ranks High
• A
report published in Brookings Metro about the digitalization of the U.S. economy ranks Rochester, NY as the 15th most "digitalized" economy among the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.
18th Among "The World's Leading Science Cities"
• Scientific Reports named Rochester 18th among
"The World's Leading Science Cities." (May 2013)
Education
11 Rochester Area High Schools Rank Among Top 10% in U.S.
• In U.S. News and World Report's 2019 evaluation of more than 17,000 public high schools, 11 schools in the Greater Rochester, N.Y. region are
among the top 10 percent. They are Pittsford Mendon High School (184), Pittsford Sutherland High School (223), Honeoye Falls-Lima Senior High School (238), Brighton High School (786), Webster Thomas High School (880), Geneseo Middle School High School (664), Victor Senior High School (813), Penfield Senior High School (975), Fairport Senior High School (1,289), LeRoy Junior-Senior High School (1,569), and Rush-Henrietta Senior High School (1,601).
Nationally Recognized Workforce Training
• Monroe Community College is noted by the Aspen Institute's 2019 "Workforce Playbook" as one of 6 schools in the US leading the way in innovative workforce development.
Read more here. (June 2019)
RIT Video Game Program Ranked No. 2 by Princeton Review
• Rochester Institute of Technology is one of the top schools in the world to study game design and launch games, according to new international rankings from The Princeton Review. RIT's game design and development program was ranked second at the undergraduate level and fourth at the graduate level. (The Princeton Review, 2017)
Living and Culture
Among Top Ten "Coziest Cities"
• Rochester ranks among the top ten
"Coziest Cities in America" based on high scores in reading books, knitting/needlework and cafes, coffee shops and tea houses as well as a high percentage of homes with a fireplace. Other cities on the list include hot markets like Boston, Seattle, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Portland, OR. (U.S. News and World Report, 2019)
Finger Lakes Named America's Top Wine Region
• For the second straight year, the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York has been named the best wine region in the United States in a national poll conducted by
USA Today and its travel site, 10Best.com. (August 2019)
Rochester, NY is the Hottest Real Estate Market
•
Rochester, NY, topped realtor.com's list of the hottest markets in America for the first time, propelled by price-conscious buyers of all generations interested in urban living. And why not? Perched on Lake Ontario, the city has its own university, good public schools, and over 12,000 acres of parkland, and it's just a stone's throw away from the wine-growing Finger Lakes region. (June 2019)
13th Best Place to Live in the U.S. for Quality of Life
• According to U.S. News & World Report, Rochester is the
13th Best Place to Live in the U.S. for Quality of Life. Short commutes and high-quality education were key factors. (2018)
One of Top Cities in U.S. Where Millennials Are Moving Most
• Greater Rochester, NY is among the top 18 metro areas in the U.S. where Millennials are moving to the most in 2019, according to the National Association of Realtors in a
Bloomberg News report. Millennials born between 1980 and 1998 represent more than two-thirds of new Rochester residents, and Rochester is in the top five among metros where recent millennial movers have a higher income than the current millennial population.
Rochester a Top Destination for Millennial Homeowners
•
A 2019 report from Lending Tree shows that Rochester, NY is among the top 10 cities in the U.S. where Millennials are entering the housing market.
Rochester Ranks 17th for Arts Vibrancy
• Rochester, NY is the
17th most “arts vibrant” place in the country, according to the National Center for Arts Research annual Arts Vibrancy Index. (July 2018)
Rochester health care costs among lowest in U.S.
• Rochester's health care costs are the
4th lowest in the nation (Institute of Medicine, 2015)
Rochester is a Low Risk for Natural Disasters
• Recent map from
Popular Science article shows Rochester, NY is a low risk for natural disasters (August 2014)
10 Least Stressed Out Cities
• Short commutes and moderate living costs earned Rochester the number two spot on
CNN Money's list of 10 Least Stressed Out Cities. (July 2014)
Rochester Homes 51% More Affordable Than the National Average
• At $127,000, the median home sales price is 51% more affordable than the national average. Approximately 86% of area homes are affordable for our region's median income. NAHB Housing Opportunity Index (Q1 2019)
Rochester Tops for Volunteerism
• Rochester
ranks 2nd among large US metros for volunteer hours per resident. (source: Corporation for National & Community Service, 2018)
Health
Rochester's Health Care is Among the Best in the Country
• Rochester's health care costs are among the lowest in the country.
Commercial insurance costs are 30% below the national average.
Recreation
One of the Top 10 Golf Cities
• Rochester, NY was named one of the Top 10 Best Golf Cities in America. (source: Golf.com)
The Strong Museum of Play Among Best Museums in U.S.
• USA Today ranked The Strong as the #3
“Best Museum for Families” in the country: (2017)
Top 10 "Lakeside Vacations that Have it All"
• Yahoo Travel ranks Finger Lakes Region Among
Top 10 "Lakeside Vacations that Have it All" (April 2013)