2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Rochester, NY vs Grand Rapids, MI

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Grand Rapids, is 38% more than it is in Rochester and is 25% below the National Average.
- Rochester unemployment rate is 9.8%.
- Grand Rapids unemployment rate is 6.3%.
 Rochester, NYGrand Rapids, MIUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock6.3%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.0%1.6%
 Future Job Growth20.4%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes8.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock5.8%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$26,569  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$55,385$69,021
 Family Median Income$47,895  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Rochester, NYGrand Rapids, MIUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock12.5%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K6.9%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock9.0%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K10.1%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock9.3%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.0%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock10.2%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K9.7%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.3%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K3.0%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock3.9%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Rochester, NYGrand Rapids, MIUnited States
 Management, business, finance11.0%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock6.2%6.5%
 Community, social services2.6%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.1%1.2%
 Education, library7.7%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.8%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology7.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.4%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.0%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock7.5%5.4%
 Building maintenance4.5%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.9%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support20.4%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.8%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair4.8%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock17.3%13.1%
Reviews for Rochester    79 Reviews

Stay out of the rougher patches, and you'll find a pretty solid city. I live within close proximity to it, and the crime from it DOES rub off on us (auto theft), but  More

   |    Reply

Rochester isn't perfect (I'll detail pros and cons), but it's certainly perfect for me and my husband. We've lived here for 4 years and are getting ready to purchase our  More

   |    Reply

Rochester is a scenic city with so much to offer in terms of things to do and having 4 seasons, except the summer is more like a long spring!! It's a relatively unknown  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Rochester

Reviews for Grand Rapids    62 Reviews

I've lived in Grand Rapids about 85% of my life and can confidently say it is a great place to live for anyone. I know countless people who dogged the city, moved  More

   |    Reply

Grand Rapids proper - the small city - is fairly OK. Nothing special stands out about it when judged against the nicer areas of the US, but it has some decent dining and  More

   |    Reply

Wow. “bland Rapids and everyone is Smug, uptight and part of the Christian Reformed Church. “ Someone is accurately describing Grand Rapids in 1985. Much has changed  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Grand Rapids


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.