Commercial Real Estate Market in Rochester, NY
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: August 31
972 active listings and 10,220 off-market properties in Rochester, NY. Commercial property asks $66/SF to buy and $36.74/SF/Yr to lease. Office vacancy runs 20.7%, the loosest of the segments tracked here.
Market Trends
Rochester, NY spans 160.7 square miles in Monroe County, New York. Figures below refresh monthly; last updated 31 August 2026.
Office
Office space in Rochester, NY asks $49.36/SF/Yr to lease and $123/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 20.7% in 2025, up from 8.6% in 2019. Down from a 2022 peak of 22.8%.
Retail
Retail space in Rochester, NY asks $102/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 9.9% in 2025, little changed from 9.6% in 2020. Nearly 1.2x the 2023 low of 8.6%.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate %
Industrial
Industrial vacancy in Rochester, NY runs 6.7% in 2025, down from 7.2% in 2019. Nearly 1.5x the 2021 low of 4.4%.
Vacancy Rate %
Multifamily
Multifamily space in Rochester, NY asks $65/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 5.6% across the Northeast region in 2025, up from 4% in 2022.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate % in Northeast region
Zoning & Land Use
Land Use Mix share of zoned land by category
- Residential 51.1%
- Industrial 18.1%
- Open space 17.2%
- Planned_development 5%
- Commercial 4.9%
- Civic 0.6%
- Mixed use 0.1%
Largest Zones share of zoned land by district
Low Density Residential
Open Space District
Industrial District
Medium Density Residential
Community Center District
Rochester, NY zones 23,490 acres across 77 districts. Commercial zoning covers 4.9% of zoned land, residential 51.1%, open space 17.2% and industrial 18.1%. The largest single district is Low Density Residential at 40.6%. For commercial buyers the practical constraint is that only 23% of land carries a commercial or industrial designation.
Low Density Residential (R-1)
The R-1 Low-Density Residential District is intended to maintain residential areas at relatively low densities. The R-1 District is a distinct urban area that is characterized predominantly by owner-occupied, single-family detached and attached homes but often contains a diverse mix of other preexisting higher-density residential uses. Each R-1 neighborhood…
Market overview
Demographics & Economy
Rochester, NY has 481,148 residents in 220,088 households. Density runs 2,993 people per square mile. Median household income here is $66,326 and median gross rent $1,127 a month.
481,148
Population
220,088
Households
2.2
Avg Household Size
38
Median Age
35%
College-Educated
89%
High-School Grad
160.7 sq mi
ZIP Area
2,993
Density / Sq Mi
$66,326
Median Household Income
$41,704
Median Earnings
$1,127
Median Rent
$169,792
Median Home Value
Tools
Nearby Markets
| Market | Average Sale Price, $/SF | Average Lease Price, $/SF/Yr |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsford | $66 (county avg) | $18.65 |
| Henrietta | $66 (county avg) | — |
| East Rochester | $66 (county avg) | — |
| Penfield | $66 (county avg) | $19.00 |
Commercial property in Rochester, NY asks $66/SF. The 4 bordering markets run from $66/SF in Pittsford to $66/SF in Pittsford, and the city sits in line with their $66/SF median.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average price per square foot for commercial property in Rochester?
Commercial property in Rochester, NY asks an average of $66 per square foot. The 5 most recent recorded sales traded at a median of $88/SF. Office carries the highest asking price at $123/SF.
How much does it cost to lease commercial space in Rochester?
Asking lease rates in Rochester, NY average $36.74 per square foot per year. Office asks $49.36/SF/Yr as of Q1 26, down from $189.26/SF/Yr in Q4 25.
What is the office vacancy rate in Rochester?
Office vacancy in Rochester, NY is 20.7% as of 2025, up from 8.6% in 2019. Retail vacancy is 9.9%, below Office vacancy.
Which property type has the lowest vacancy in Rochester?
Industrial has the lowest vacancy in Rochester, NY at 6.7%, inside a 4.4–7.2% band since 2019. For comparison: office 20.7%, retail 9.9% and multifamily 5.6% (Northeast).
How does Rochester compare to nearby markets on price?
Rochester, NY asks $66/SF against $66/SF in Pittsford, $66/SF in Henrietta, $66/SF in East Rochester and $66/SF in Penfield.
What zoning applies to commercial property in Rochester?
Rochester, NY zones 23,490 acres across 77 districts, of which 4.9% is commercial and 18.1% industrial. The largest single district is Low Density Residential at 40.6% of zoned land. The R-1 Low-Density Residential District is intended to maintain residential areas at relatively low densities. The R-1 District is a distinct urban area that is characterized predominantly by owner-occupied, single-family detached and attached homes but often contains a diverse mix of other preexisting higher-density residential uses. Each R-1 neighborhood… Residential zoning covers 51.1% and open space 17.2%.
Where does Realmo's Rochester market data come from?
Realmo compiles Rochester, NY figures from 5 recent recorded sales, 666 active sale listings, 306 active lease listings, 10,220 tracked off-market properties, the current Rochester zoning release. Sale and lease figures refresh monthly; vacancy annually. Last updated 31 August 2026.
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and averages
- Computed from 666 active for-sale and 306 active for-lease listings in Rochester, NY. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a segment carried by a handful of listings reads as indicative rather than an average.
- Price per square foot
- The county-level $/SF blends closed sales aggregated over the trailing months of available data, not a single day's snapshot — it can differ from any one month's own median.
- Vacancy rates
- Published per-sector market series, taken at the metro level where one exists and otherwise at the Census-region level — a chart reading "in <region> region" is a regional number, not this city's.
- Zoning and land use
- The current municipal zoning release: 23,490 zoned acres across 77 districts. Shares are of zoned land, so parcels the release leaves unclassified are excluded from the mix.
- Refresh
- The monthly aggregates close at the end of the previous month, so 31 August 2026 — not today — is the honest last update.
- Known limitations
- multifamily vacancy is reported at Northeast region level.
- Coverage
- Metrics below the 10-observation threshold fall back one geographic level. The geography used is named on each figure.
Compiled by the Realmo Data team · reviewed 31 August 2026 · report a data issue
