Home / Wages / Rochester Rochester salaries The median worker in the Rochester, NY metro area earned $50,050 a year in 2024, about $24.06 an hour. That ranks #75 of the 391 metro areas published here, 1.1% above the national median.
New York
Median pay $50,050 $24.06 per hour
Vs national +1.1% U.S. $49,500
Workers 490,900 wage and salary
Metro rank #75 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Rochester pays 14.5% less than New York as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Housing here moved +2.2% over the year to 2026 Q2 and +51.8% over five years. Pay and house prices rarely move together, and where they diverge for long the
affordability of an area changes even when nothing about the jobs does.
House prices in Rochester .
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Word Processors and Typists 6.17× 710 $42,390 School Bus Monitors 5.98× 1,370 $34,650 Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary 3.2× 1,000 $78,300 Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians 3.14× 730 $58,510 Clergy 3.08× 570 $58,910 Interpreters and Translators 3.06× 520 $76,610 Healthcare Social Workers 2.88× 1,700 $51,940 School Psychologists 2.81× 570 $73,440 Special Education Teachers, Secondary School 2.71× 1,400 $63,350 Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary 2.47× 580 $74,630 Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers 2.43× 2,020 $39,150 Bus Drivers, School 2.43× 3,000 $51,100
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Rochester Occupation Median Hourly Employed Physicians, All Other $237,660 $114.26 420 Chief Executives $185,280 $89.08 280 Sales Managers $164,990 $79.32 1,120 Computer and Information Systems Managers $162,910 $78.32 1,570 Marketing Managers $159,750 $76.80 1,230 Architectural and Engineering Managers $159,700 $76.78 570 Dentists, General $159,680 $76.77 420 Financial Managers $156,790 $75.38 2,060 Purchasing Managers $146,460 $70.41 230 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $142,590 $68.55 810 Human Resources Managers $138,190 $66.44 640 Lawyers $138,010 $66.35 2,050 Pharmacists $133,270 $64.07 1,050 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $132,150 $63.54 460 Managers, All Other $131,580 $63.26 510 Construction Managers $129,890 $62.45 390 Medical and Health Services Managers $129,850 $62.43 1,310 Physician Assistants $128,680 $61.86 950 Veterinarians $127,950 $61.52 210 Nurse Practitioners $125,600 $60.39 1,910 Facilities Managers $117,760 $56.61 470 Industrial Production Managers $114,780 $55.19 710 Administrative Services Managers $111,940 $53.82 580 Computer Network Architects $111,280 $53.50 510 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $110,650 $53.20 440 Software Developers $108,770 $52.29 4,270 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $108,510 n/a 1,200 Detectives and Criminal Investigators $107,810 $51.83 460 First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers $107,500 $51.68 270 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $106,370 $51.14 390 Personal Financial Advisors $105,910 $50.92 810 Electrical Engineers $105,260 $50.61 710 Sales Engineers $103,070 $49.55 200 General and Operations Managers $103,030 $49.53 9,680 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $102,800 $49.42 270 Information Security Analysts $101,280 $48.69 400 Engineers, All Other $101,080 $48.59 490 First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers $100,560 $48.35 770 Project Management Specialists $100,550 $48.34 3,490 Mechanical Engineers $99,510 $47.84 1,190 Industrial Engineers $99,360 $47.77 1,970 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $99,300 n/a 360 Business Teachers, Postsecondary $99,200 n/a 450 Architects, Except Landscape and Naval $97,570 $46.91 240 Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary $97,430 n/a 280 Civil Engineers $97,030 $46.65 850 Computer Programmers $96,420 $46.36 360 Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $95,020 $45.68 550 Registered Nurses $95,010 $45.68 12,510 Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers $94,240 $45.31 400 Computer Systems Analysts $91,960 $44.21 820 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $91,590 $44.03 1,860 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $90,680 $43.60 1,240 Labor Relations Specialists $90,220 $43.38 220 Management Analysts $89,270 $42.92 1,830 Firefighters $88,380 $42.49 800 Computer Occupations, All Other $87,110 $41.88 360 Financial and Investment Analysts $85,500 $41.11 1,170 Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $85,010 $40.87 200 Dental Hygienists $83,880 $40.33 980
Where most people work Largest occupations in Rochester by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Home Health and Personal Care Aides 15,780 $36,030 $17.32 Registered Nurses 12,510 $95,010 $45.68 Retail Salespersons 12,220 $34,290 $16.49 Fast Food and Counter Workers 11,290 $33,130 $15.93 Cashiers 9,710 $33,270 $15.99 General and Operations Managers 9,680 $103,030 $49.53 Stockers and Order Fillers 9,400 $37,210 $17.89 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 9,100 $36,190 $17.40 Customer Service Representatives 9,090 $44,100 $21.20 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 8,010 $33,730 n/a Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 6,750 $46,140 $22.18 Waiters and Waitresses 6,520 $45,310 $21.78 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 6,110 $48,600 $23.36 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 6,060 $62,840 n/a Office Clerks, General 5,700 $41,230 $19.82 Nursing Assistants 5,240 $39,800 $19.14 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 5,170 $38,460 $18.49 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 4,860 $49,090 $23.60 Accountants and Auditors 4,710 $80,390 $38.65 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 4,410 $65,230 n/a
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other New York metro areas New York-Newark-Jersey City 9,363,020 workers $60,460 Albany-Schenectady-Troy 442,970 workers $56,460 Ithaca 48,030 workers $56,350 Syracuse 295,110 workers $50,800 Buffalo-Cheektowaga 531,990 workers $50,190 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh 264,070 workers $49,730 Rochester pay: common questions What is the average salary in Rochester? The median across all occupations is $50,050 , or $24.06 an hour, covering 490,900 wage and salary workers. The mean is $65,340, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Rochester pay more than the rest of New York? No. The metro median of $50,050 is 14.5% below the New York median of $58,560. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Rochester? Physicians, All Other ($237,660), Chief Executives ($185,280), Sales Managers ($164,990). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Rochester unusually full of? Word Processors and Typists, at 6.17× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.