What is the cost of living in Utica-Rome?

Utica-Rome has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 92.7, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 66.1, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,172/month.

What is the median salary in Utica-Rome?

The median salary in Utica-Rome is $69,489 annually (mean: $73,197). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses.

How safe is Utica-Rome?

The violent crime rate in the Utica-Rome area is 380 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1661 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Utica-Rome?

The state of NY has 4,812 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 11.8:1. Charter schools make up 7.1% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Utica-Rome?

Infant center-based childcare in the Utica-Rome area averages $13,869 per year. Preschool averages $11,679/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Utica-Rome a good place to relocate?

Utica-Rome has a Life Score of 49.7/100 (D), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Utica-Rome sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Utica-Rome ranks #54 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Utica-Rome, NY

LiveAbility 60.2/100 places Utica-Rome #54 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

92.7
Cost index (US=100): $1,172
2BR rent / mo: $69,489
Median salary: 60.2
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Utica-Rome ranks #54 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (60.2/100), with its strongest marks in air quality and schools.

#54
of 387 US metros · Excellent: 19,867,248
metro-area population: 380
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 4,812
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: low hazard (21/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Utica-Rome ranks #54 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 92.7 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,172/mo, median salary $69,489; LiveAbility Score 60.2/100, strongest in air quality and schools.

Signature: LiveAbility 60.2/100 places Utica-Rome #54 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 92.7 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,172/mo.

LiveAbility 60.2/100 puts Utica-Rome in the top third (#54 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Utica-Rome area is 109,220.

Utica-Rome vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

60 Top 14% higher than 86% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Utica-Rome housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Utica-Rome MSA; housing RPP 66.1 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,172/mo.

Studio

$899

/month

1 Bedroom

$926

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,172

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,405

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,623

/month

Utica-Rome wages and employment

Utica-Rome posts 109,220 total employment with median salary $69,489.

Median Salary

$69,489

Mean Salary

$73,197

Total Employment

109,220

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$37,420
Retail Salespersons	$34,530
Registered Nurses	$94,300
Cashiers	$33,070
Stockers and Order Fillers	$38,130

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Utica-Rome area from NCES.

Schools

4,812

Enrollment

2,505,133

Student:Teacher

11.8:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Utica-Rome area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$13,869

per year

Toddler (Center)

$12,979

per year

Preschool (Center)

$11,679

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Utica-Rome's composite Life Score is 49.7/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

58/100

Above average

Wages

68/100

Strong

Rent

70/100

Strong

Crime

36/100

Below average

Schools

5/100

Bottom decile

Childcare

18/100

Bottom decile

Environment

63/100

Above average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Utica-Rome ranks #54 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 60.2/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Air quality (96/100)

Air quality

96
Schools

95
Housing

70
Job market

68
Cost of living

58
Safety

36
Climate

24
Low hazard

21

What this shows Utica-Rome's strongest dimensions are air quality and schools; its weakest among scored dims is low hazard at 21/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Utica-Rome to

Wildwood-The Villages Williamsport Wilmington Winchester Winston-Salem Worcester

Metros near Utica-Rome on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Utica-Rome on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Utica-Rome cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Utica-Rome wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Utica-Rome?

Utica-Rome runs a $69,489 median salary at a 92.7 cost index, ranking #54 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Utica-Rome's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Utica-Rome head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Utica-Rome
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.