Lawyers salary in Rochester, NY

Median pay for lawyers in Rochester, NY: $129,950/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $66,840 – $239,200 · about 1,770 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($119,840) by +$10,110 (+8%).

What it's really worth in Rochester

With Rochester's cost of living at 98 (US=100), that $129,950 has the buying power of about $132,078 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $71,349 · median home $285,034 · median rent $1,597/mo.

Full Rochester cost of living & taxes →

How Rochester ranks for this job

On raw pay, Rochester, NY is 52nd of the 183 metros we hold lawyers wages for. Once Rochester's cost of living is applied, it ranks 67th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Rochester sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Rochester

A median home in Rochester, NY costs $285,034 — about 2.2× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,597/mo works out at 15% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where lawyers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Rochester.

Metro	Median pay	vs Rochester	Rent vs Rochester
San Jose, CA	$239,200	+84%	2.3×
San Francisco, CA	$217,340	+67%	2×
Los Angeles, CA	$194,020	+49%	1.8×
New York, NY	$185,790	+43%	2.2×

Same job elsewhere in NY

Metro	Median pay	vs Rochester	Rent vs Rochester
New York, NY	$185,790	+43%	2.2×
Albany, NY	$119,950	−8%	1.1×
Syracuse, NY	$116,350	−10%	1×
Buffalo, NY	$111,030	−15%	0.9×

Staying in NY keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Rochester