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Compare towns

Rochester vs Whiteface

160 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+78% in Whiteface) and street grid (2.5× in Rochester).

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Rochester, TXHomes around $78KTexas · 228 people
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Whiteface, TXKnown for its schoolsTexas · 361 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

RochesterHomes around $78K
Housing$78K typical home74% below the TX typical home All about Rochester →
WhitefaceKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 35%of TX districts All about Whiteface →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Property tax bill+78%
Tax bills are bigger in Whiteface
Whiteface $836Rochester $469
Street grid2.5×
Rochester has the more walkable street grid
Rochester 153Whiteface 61.4
Typical home built25 yrs
Rochester’s homes are older
Whiteface 1978Rochester 1953
Average commute6 min
Rochester has the shorter commute
Whiteface 26 minRochester 20 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Rochester$470/mo
Typical home $78K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.85% · or rent about $700/mo · Housing →
Whiteface$410/mo
Typical home $65K (Census) · tax rate 1.29% · or rent about $1,025/mo · Housing →

The difference: $60 a month, about $700 a year, between Rochester and Whiteface.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Texas ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
–RochesterNot graded C+WhitefaceBetter than 35% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
RochesterWhiteface
Snow a year4″6″
January low31°F24°F
July high97°F93°F
Growing season (days)232d199d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)30th41st
Outdoors & history
RochesterWhiteface
Settled—1924
Archive photos—4
Community
RochesterWhiteface
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

160 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

RochesterTXWhitefaceTX
Rochester ↔ Whiteface160 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

RochesterWhiteface
People
Population 228Lowest 361Highest
Median age 32±14.3Lowest 10% below TX 37.1±8.6Highest 4% above TX
Whiteface and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.4%±8.2Lowest TX: 25% 35.2%±7.1Highest TX: 25%
Whiteface and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 21.1%±12.5Highest TX: 13.4% 13%±8.6Lowest TX: 13.4%
Rochester and Whiteface are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 7.5%Lowest TX: 33.8% 9.9%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.8%±8.8Lowest TX: 6.2% 5.8%±4.3Highest TX: 6.2%
Whiteface and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $31,827±$11kLowest 59% below TX $39,821±$12kHighest 49% below TX
Whiteface and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $55,000±$34kLowest 81% below TX $65,000±$42kHighest 77% below TX
Whiteface and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $700±$101Lowest 50% below TX $1,025±$508Highest 27% below TX
Whiteface and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $469Lowest 89% below TX $836Highest 80% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 68.8%±100Highest TX: 51.7% 63.6%±66.7Lowest TX: 51.7%
Rochester and Whiteface are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 31.6%Highest TX: 13.8% 31.3%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 75.3%Lowest TX: 62.6% 76.1%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1953Lowest 39 yrs older than TX 1978Highest 14 yrs older than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 27% below TX 26 minHighest 4% below TX
Work from home 1%±3Lowest TX: 14.4% 1.7%±3.3Highest TX: 14.4%
Whiteface and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 1.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 61.3 miHighest 41.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.10Lowest 0.12Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Abilene (16%)Morton (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WhitefaceFew work in Rochester
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 153Highest 61.4Lowest
Texas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Rochester neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rochester’s Town Square.

Whiteface neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Whiteface’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Rochester

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Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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