Welcome to Rochester ...
Rochester is located in Plymouth County<1>.
Rochester was settled in 1638 and was incorporated in 1686.
When the people of Rochester refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Rochesterian<2>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Rochester has a population of 5,695 people<3> (see below for details).
Rochester is 30 feet [9 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Rochester lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area codes for Rochester: (508) and (774)<5>
The ZIP code for Rochester: 02770<6>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Rochester had an population of 5,695 people. This is an increase of 8.85% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 24.32% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Rochester had a population of 5,232 people. This makes Rochester the county's 25th most populous community.
The population of Rochester represents 0.08% of the population of Massachusetts (which has 6,547,629 people), making it the state's 241st most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 5,232 people, the population of Rochester increased 14.21% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 4,581 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Rochester.
Communities Also Named Rochester ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 32 communities that are also named Rochester - they are located in Alberta, California, Illinois (2), Indiana, Iowa, Kansas (6), Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana (2), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio (4), Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Rochester.
Communities near Rochester ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Rochester.
- New Bedford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bedford
- New Bedford is located in Bristol County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 95,517 people
- Fall River
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall River
- Fall River is located in Bristol County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 89,792 people
- Plymouth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
- Plymouth is located in Plymouth County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62,654 people
- Taunton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taunton
- Taunton is located in Bristol County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 57,675 people
- Dartmouth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest) - Falmouth
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
- Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 31,107 people
- Bridgewater
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgewater
- Bridgewater is located in Plymouth County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27,689 people
- Middleborough
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleborough
- Middleborough is located in Plymouth County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,722 people
- Sandwich
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east) - Bourne
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Rochester. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Rochester.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Rochester. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rochester.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Rochester. See our Newspapers Page for Rochester.
Adding Rochester to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Rochester in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Rochester was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Rochester post office opened in 1800.
We also found Rochester in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (1803).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Rochester.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rochester. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Massachusetts' counties, including Plymouth, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Rochester refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Rochester may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Rochester. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Rochester - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | Area code (774) is an overlay for area code (508). |
| <6> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Rochester). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Rochester or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |