ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Rochester was once a boomtown, but now it’s a Zoomtown, apparently.
The Flower City came in at No. 5 on a new list of America’s best cities for remote workers, according to a new report from Ownerly.
The report analyzed several factors to determine the rankings, including:
- Affordable homes
- Availability of fast internet
- High quality of life
- Access to green space
“During the COVID-19 surge, millions of employees adopted a work-from-home pandemic protocol, socially distancing from colleagues, clients and customers by taking meetings via videoconference. As employers adopt remote-friendly policies, more workers are liberated from commuting concerns, opening the door for cost-effective and lifestyle-friendly moves,” the article said. “To help remote workers considering relocation, Ownerly analyzed 304 cities across the nation, looking at rent and housing prices, cost of living, safety data, level of broadband and free Wi-Fi coverage, access to parks and amount of sunshine in an average year.”
With a “score” of 73.3, Rochester came in at No. 5 on the list. The authors wrote:
“Rich in civic amenities, Rochester encompasses some of upstate New York’s most affluent communities, but overall the metro area remains exceedingly affordable, with median rent under $900 and median home value roughly $153,000. The city birthed many world-famous brands—examples include Eastman Kodak and Xerox—and, thanks in part to the Rochester Institute of Technology , the local economy remains STEM-heavy. Remote workers can count on plentiful broadband options and a slew of free Wi-Fi hotspots. Given the city’s location on the shores of Lake Ontario, cold-weather fun is easy to find, with numerous skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing and skating options.”
Rochester was the only New York state city ranked in the top 10: Buffalo-Cheektowaga came in at No. 11 and Syracuse at No 25. The top ten on the list, in order, are:
- Lebanon, Pennsylvania
- El Paso, Texas
- York-Hanover, Pennsylvania
- Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Rochester, New York
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Wausau-Weston, Wisconsin
- Logan, Utah
- Appleton, Wisconsin
