Best PlacesSouth Wedge, Rochester, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Wedge, Rochester, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South Wedge, Rochester ranks 4,247th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in South Wedge, Rochester
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
South Wedge, Rochester's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Wedge, Rochester ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Short commute16.5 minutes each way, better than 94% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
Where South Wedge, Rochester ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Household income$52,935 median, better than only 19% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Wedge, Rochester
A household needs to earn about $62,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Wedge, Rochester home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $52,935, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses South Wedge, Rochester's effective rate of 2.28%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Wedge, Rochester
South Wedge, Rochester runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Wedge, Rochester.
Who works in South Wedge, Rochester, and how
Work in South Wedge, Rochester centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in South Wedge, Rochester
South Wedge, Rochester has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of South Wedge, Rochester and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Wedge, Rochester, month by month
South Wedge, Rochester sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 28° | 20° |
| April | 59° | 47° | 36° |
| July | 85° | 73° | 62° |
| October | 66° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of South Wedge, Rochester
The nearest airport, Frederick Douglass/Greater Rochester International, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Pittsburgh International, about 228 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Wedge, Rochester
Schools across South Wedge, Rochester average a C−, better than 22% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Dr Walter Cooper AcademyD+ · 21% proficient
Top middle schools
- East Lower SchoolF · 6% proficient
Top high schools
- Edison Career And Technology High SchoolB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Wedge, Rochester school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Wedge, Rochester measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare South Wedge, Rochester against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Wedge, Rochester
Is South Wedge, Rochester a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Wedge, Rochester ranks 4,247th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low disaster risk, short commutes, and biking, and lowest on property taxes and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Wedge, Rochester expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $196,385. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $52,935 median income, cost of living beats 24% of neighborhoods.
Is South Wedge, Rochester safe?
South Wedge, Rochester is safer than 22% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $682 per resident a year.
Compare South Wedge, Rochester with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Wedge, Rochester. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Wedge, Rochester represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
South Wedge, Rochester detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Wedge, Rochester: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Wedge, Rochester: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Wedge, Rochester: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Wedge, Rochester: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Wedge, Rochester detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.