Rome, NY — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·New York·Rome

Oneida County · Utica-Rome · population 31,990

First-time buyersInvestors

Image: Wikipedia · Rome, New York

Overview Cost of living Moving guide

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Hot

Momentum score · 0–100

Where Rome stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 8.1% in the last year. averaging 8.2% annual growth over 5 years. rents up 7.7% in the last year.

Median home $207,413

1-year +8.1%

5-yr CAGR +8.2%

vs 5-yr peak +0.0%

Population -0.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly

Lifestyle scores

🚶

Walkability

32/100

Very car-dependent

Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.

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Public transit

22/100

Transit limited

Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.

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Remote work fit

78/100

Strong remote-work fit

Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 12.1

Buy

At a 12.1 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Rome on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 12.1 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →

Home YoY

85 · w22%

Home 5-yr CAGR

80 · w22%

Distance from peak

90 · w18%

Population growth

43 · w16%

Rent YoY

85 · w12%

Home 10-yr CAGR

84 · w10%

Long thesis

Rome has averaged 8.2% annual appreciation over five years and the trend is still live (+8.1% in the last 12 months). When a momentum trade keeps working, the simplest explanation is usually correct: more people want in.

Short thesis

Rome's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Rome

Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, with an estimated population of 31,990. It anchors the Utica-Rome metro area. The median home value in Rome is $207,413 as of 2026-04, up 8.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +8.2% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Rome average $1,433 per month, up 7.7% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 78 of 100 (Hot). Buyers should expect competition and limited negotiation room in this market.

▲ Bull case

●Multi-year compounder: home values up an average 8.2% per year over the last 5 years — sustained, not a one-year pop.

●Trend still working: prices up 8.1% in the last 12 months — buyers are still chasing inventory.

●Affordable AND rising: median home $207,413 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.

●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

●Hot rental market: rents up 7.7% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

●Rental squeeze: rents up 7.7% YoY — tenants face tough renewals. Affordability deteriorating fast.

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Rome (Wikipedia)

Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, which lies in the "Leatherstocking Country" made famous by James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, set in frontier days before the American Revolutionary War. Rome is in New York's 21st congressional district.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

Expect competition, escalation clauses, and pressure to waive inspections. Make your strongest offer up front — Hot markets reward decisiveness, not negotiation. If you can't write a clean offer, you may not be the best fit for this market right now.

Seller

Price slightly above recent comps and let multiple offers work. Days-on-market should be short. Don't accept the first offer in the first 48 hours unless it's significantly above ask.

Investor

Cap rates are still workable thanks to a reasonable price-to-rent ratio. Buy-and-hold math works if the trend continues; underwrite a moderate slowdown to be safe.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Oneida County right now.

NWS active alerts (NY)New York Emergency Management How to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Oneida County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.