CitytisticsShortlist

Rochester Hills, MI vs Westmont, NJ

Rochester Hills

Michigan

vs

Westmont

New Jersey

Across 37 directional measures we can compare, Rochester Hills leads on 25 and Westmont on 12. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 7% higher in Westmont, while median household income is higher in Rochester Hills.

Median gross rent
$1,644$1,754
Rochester Hills is 6% lower
Median household income
$120,694$115,317
Rochester Hills is 5% higher
Median home value
$409,800$422,200
Rochester Hills is 3% lower

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $99,500 a year left in Rochester Hills and $93,900 in Westmont. Money goes further in Rochester Hills, by about $5,600 a year.
  • A household earning Rochester Hills's median of $120,694 would need about $121,000 in Westmont to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent and pay rose at about the same pace in Rochester Hills, and rent outran pay by 2.6 points a year in Westmont.

How these are calculated

New JerseyMichiganWestmont, NJRochester Hills, MIRochester HillsWestmontRochester HillsWestmont

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 2 of 2 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Rochester Hills, MIComposite 70.4 / 100
95
73759082544857
02Westmont, NJComposite 56.1 / 100
67
614688n/a4748n/a

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureRochester HillsWestmontAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,644$1,754
Rent to income116.3%18.3%
Property tax rate11.1%n/a
Home price to income13.4x3.7x
Prices vs US average2100.3102.5
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,459$1,860
HUD area median income4$104,800$122,700
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$4,540$10,001
Median home value1$409,800$422,200
Home prices, 1-year change54.2%5.8%
Home prices, 5-year change544.8%74.2%
Homeownership176.7%65.4%
Renters paying 30%+141.1%48.9%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,208$2,532
Vacant homes14.6%4.6%
Median year built119841955
Jobs and income
Median household income1$120,694$115,317
Income per person1$57,833$60,438
Unemployment14.1%7.9%
Average annual pay6$80,231$70,945
Pay growth, 1 year63.0%2.7%
Jobs6720,266207,142
Poverty rate15.2%5.8%
Mean commute124 min26 min
Works from home123.6%26.6%
Commutes by transit10.3%7.0%
People
Population177,08914,195
Population change since 202071.6%n/a
Median age141.041.1
Bachelor's or higher161.4%59.9%
High school or higher197.0%96.9%
Household size12.52.2
Born abroad120.2%4.8%
No health insurance12.9%2.1%
Homes with broadband195.5%96.3%
Moving
Moved here in the past year15.3%3.2%
Moved from another state11.1%2.1%
Net movers per 1,000 people8-5.1-0.7
Income of households moving in8$80,490$71,881
Income of households moving out8$86,922$75,629
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k923.020.0
Shops per 10k934.930.3
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k94.93.6
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k935.223.4
Child care centers per 10k92.22.4
Parks per 10k109.61.4
Playgrounds per 10k1014.77.0
Grocery stores per 10k102.21.4
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k109.917.6
Libraries per 10k100.11.4
Named paths and bike trails1028.51.2
Transit stops per sq mi100.12.3
Nearest National Park Service site1153.15.5
National Park Service sites within 60 miles11110
National Register listings1286100
Safety
Violent crime per 100k1362n/a
Property crime per 100k13629n/a
Schools
Public schools14194
Public school students1413,3361,426
Students per teacher1418.913.3
Climate
July average high1582°F87°F
January average low1516°F25°F
Average temperature1548°F55°F
Annual precipitation1533.2 in46.9 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1697.593.2
Hurricane risk1651.088.5
Tornado risk1699.784.8
Wildfire risk1658.186.3
Heat wave risk1697.497.0
Median air quality index174144
Good air days1769.1%65.6%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Rochester Hills $65,760, Westmont $70,160 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  14. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  15. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  16. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  17. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

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