Warm-summer Mediterranean
Rochester, Washington
Thurston County, Washington · Population 6k · 138 ft elevation
Living in Rochester
Rochester has a warm-summer mediterranean climate: pleasantly warm summers (July highs around 78°F) and mild winters (January lows around 34°F).
Precipitation is wet at about 42″ a year, and it sees only a dusting of snow (4″ a season).
Skies are gray (48% of possible sunshine). Muggy weather is occasional (5 days a year).
Air quality is excellent: a median AQI of 27 and virtually no unhealthy-air days.
There is plenty to explore outdoors around Rochester: about 13% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 1,600 ft around town.
Rochester at a glance
- Population
- 6k
- Elevation
- 138 ft
- Average daily high
- 61°F24th percentile
- Average daily low
- 42°F30th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 42″44th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 4″37th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 2,241 hrs1th percentile
- Median AQI
- 273th percentile
- Median home value
- $392k71th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,182/mo49th percentile
- Median household income
- $95k70th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.90%45th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 0.0%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 9.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 1.1%
- Homes with broadband
- 97%89th percentile
- Walkability index
- 5.04th percentile
- Average commute
- 32 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 52%60th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 62%
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9461th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 8887th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 27%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 13%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 1,575 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46°F | 34°F | 5.8″ | 2.0″ | 87 hrs |
| Feb | 50°F | 34°F | 4.2″ | 0.6″ | 123 hrs |
| Mar | 54°F | 36°F | 4.4″ | 0.1″ | 148 hrs |
| Apr | 60°F | 39°F | 3.2″ | — | 189 hrs |
| May | 67°F | 45°F | 2.4″ | — | 242 hrs |
| Jun | 71°F | 49°F | 1.5″ | — | 254 hrs |
| Jul | 78°F | 53°F | 0.5″ | — | 327 hrs |
| Aug | 78°F | 53°F | 0.8″ | — | 301 hrs |
| Sep | 73°F | 49°F | 1.6″ | — | 234 hrs |
| Oct | 61°F | 43°F | 4.0″ | — | 157 hrs |
| Nov | 51°F | 37°F | 6.5″ | — | 97 hrs |
| Dec | 45°F | 34°F | 6.4″ | 1.2″ | 82 hrs |
Near Rochester
- Grand Mound, WA · 3.7k
- Centralia, WA · 18k
- Chehalis, WA · 7.5k
- Tumwater, WA · 27k
- Olympia, WA · 56k
- Lacey, WA · 57k
- Elma, WA · 3.5k
- Tanglewilde, WA · 6.8k
Largest places in Washington
- Seattle, WA · 741k
- Spokane, WA · 229k
- Tacoma, WA · 220k
- Vancouver, WA · 193k
- Bellevue, WA · 151k
- Kent, WA · 135k
- Everett, WA · 111k
- Spokane Valley, WA · 105k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology