Jobs, pay and daily life in Brighton, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Brighton is a city in New York with 36,834 residents. The median household earns $85,467 a year and the median rent is $1,350 a month, which is 19.0% of the median household income. It is part of the Rochester, NY metropolitan area, where BLS counts 494,280 jobs.
How Brighton compares. Among the 120 largest places in New York, Brighton is #28 by population, #2 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #6 for college degrees (#1 = most), #14 for remote work (#1 = most). Its county, Monroe County, is #21 of 62 counties for average pay ($66,838).
Brighton has 36,834 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.2% of the population of New York. It covers 15 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 2,391 people per square mile. The median age is 40.1, about the same as the state median (40.1 against 39.8). It is a census-designated place: a community the Census Bureau counts as a unit, without a city government of its own, so services such as police, roads and zoning usually come from the county.
The median gross rent is $1,350 a month (rent plus utilities), 17% below the state median ($1,350 against $1,621). Over a year that is 19.0% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $282,100, which is 3.3 times the median household income ($85,467); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 56.4% of households own their home, 4% above the state average (56.4% against 54.4%).
The Rochester, NY metropolitan area has 494,280 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $51,210 a year, about the same as the national median ($51,210 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (59,480 jobs, median $47,020); educational instruction and library (45,010 jobs, median $60,760); food preparation and serving related (40,620 jobs, median $35,780). The area is most specialised in educational instruction and library (1.6 times) and community and social service (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($128,360) and computer and mathematical ($97,830). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Monroe County was 4.2%. 65.5% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Monroe County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 67.3% drive alone, 0.8% use public transit, 2.1% walk, 21.6% work from home. 3.6% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 87% below the state average (3.6% against 27.4%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.
68.6% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 71% above the state share (68.6% against 40.2%). 14.0% of residents were born outside the United States, 38% below the state share (14.0% against 22.8%). The poverty rate is 8.8%, 37% below the state rate (8.8% against 14.0%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 72°F (22.3°C), and the coolest is Jan at 24°F (-4.4°C). About 947 mm (37 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Oct is the wettest month (100 mm) and Feb the driest (56 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Rochester (4 miles, rent 20% lower); Irondequoit (6 miles, rent 14% lower); Auburn (53 miles, rent 34% lower); Lockport (56 miles, rent 30% lower). Rent differences are against Brighton; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in New York (1,186) →State guide: New YorkCountry guideMonroe CountyNew York rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 1,186 federal postings open in New York (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in New York →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 17,070 | 1.25 | $35,600 | $34,110 | $47,460 | -1% |
| Retail Salespersons | 12,440 | 1.00 | $34,650 | $32,240 | $49,910 | -2% |
| Registered Nurses | 12,340 | 1.15 | $86,570 | $79,340 | $106,350 | -11% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 11,310 | 0.92 | $33,430 | $32,240 | $37,270 | +7% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 9,620 | 1.07 | $37,940 | $32,240 | $57,190 | +2% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 9,520 | 1.35 | $37,160 | $32,240 | $47,610 | +1% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 9,290 | 1.13 | $44,740 | $35,040 | $60,930 | -0% |
| General and Operations Managers | 9,230 | 0.83 | $103,690 | $54,090 | $234,220 | -2% |
| Cashiers | 8,900 | 0.91 | $33,850 | $32,240 | $36,400 | +3% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 8,090 | 1.79 | $36,240 | $32,240 | $47,280 | -1% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 6,230 | 1.15 | $46,770 | $36,590 | $61,740 | -2% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 6,070 | 0.84 | $45,310 | $32,240 | $80,400 | +29% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 5,870 | 1.21 | $49,990 | $37,950 | $75,790 | +1% |
| Office Clerks, General | 5,680 | 0.72 | $42,230 | $32,240 | $59,170 | -6% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 5,160 | 0.55 | $40,050 | $32,830 | $49,240 | -0% |
| Nursing Assistants | 5,130 | 1.11 | $40,050 | $38,070 | $47,800 | -5% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 5,100 | 1.15 | $62,840 | $48,110 | $92,670 | -2% |
| Software Developers | 4,650 | 0.87 | $122,770 | $79,580 | $170,170 | -10% |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 4,510 | 1.48 | $44,380 | $38,740 | $48,340 | -3% |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 4,430 | 1.31 | $76,190 | $50,590 | $94,680 | +6% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | 710 | 0.65 | $214,550 | $78,400 | $497,050 | -19% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 1,790 | 0.84 | $170,000 | $115,720 | $266,600 | -3% |
| Financial Managers | 2,190 | 0.82 | $167,800 | $99,990 | $295,890 | +1% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 650 | 0.93 | $166,550 | $123,740 | $231,250 | -3% |
| Sales Managers | 1,220 | 0.60 | $165,140 | $84,690 | $299,840 | +11% |
| Marketing Managers | 1,470 | 1.17 | $149,440 | $83,990 | $265,570 | -10% |
| Lawyers | 1,710 | 0.71 | $148,150 | $82,190 | $325,280 | -7% |
| Human Resources Managers | 680 | 0.97 | $146,990 | $92,050 | $247,310 | -2% |
| Managers, All Other | 650 | 0.33 | $146,670 | $83,710 | $259,590 | +3% |
| Pharmacists | 1,070 | 1.04 | $136,310 | $123,610 | $156,770 | -3% |
| Physician Assistants | 1,230 | 2.38 | $130,430 | $109,130 | $155,390 | -4% |
| Nurse Practitioners | 1,890 | 1.84 | $128,110 | $105,340 | $154,610 | -3% |
| Administrative Services Managers | 530 | 0.63 | $127,410 | $85,390 | $204,850 | +12% |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | 1,510 | 0.79 | $124,260 | $77,930 | $275,330 | +0% |
| Software Developers | 4,650 | 0.87 | $122,770 | $79,580 | $170,170 | -10% |
| Industrial Production Managers | 800 | 1.02 | $116,140 | $75,500 | $180,740 | -8% |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 990 | 1.09 | $109,040 | $63,970 | $170,040 | +4% |
| Electrical Engineers | 1,000 | 1.58 | $108,160 | $78,860 | $163,650 | -10% |
| Computer Network Architects | 510 | 0.90 | $107,200 | $78,610 | $165,520 | -20% |
| Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | 1,200 | 1.15 | $105,820 | $80,900 | $156,210 | -0% |
These figures are for the whole Rochester, NY metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $51,210 (US $50,980); unemployment 4.1% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 39.2% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 16.6% |
| Retail trade | 9.0% |
| Manufacturing | 6.7% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 6.3% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 4.8% |
| Other services | 4.0% |
| Public administration | 3.7% |
| Construction | 3.3% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 2.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.0% |
| Information | 1.7% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.1% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Brighton lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County | 753,753 | $65,111 million | $86,383 | 382,138 | 19,654 | $66,838 | +1.2% | 4.2% | 375,739 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 73,647 | 22.1% | $59,625 | 1.34 |
| Retail trade | 35,169 | 10.5% | $40,538 | 0.92 |
| Manufacturing | 34,851 | 10.4% | $81,793 | 1.11 |
| Educational services | 28,018 | 8.4% | $85,304 | 3.55 |
| Accommodation and food services | 27,386 | 8.2% | $26,293 | 0.79 |
| Professional and technical services | 22,032 | 6.6% | $93,119 | 0.83 |
| Administrative and waste services | 19,135 | 5.7% | $51,669 | 0.85 |
| Construction | 15,977 | 4.8% | $78,666 | 0.80 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 14,717 | 4.4% | $54,846 | 0.91 |
| Finance and insurance | 12,191 | 3.7% | $108,542 | 0.79 |
| Wholesale trade | 11,901 | 3.6% | $107,452 | 0.79 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 11,008 | 3.3% | $44,998 | 0.96 |
| Management of companies | 8,711 | 2.6% | $110,752 | 1.35 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 6,569 | 2.0% | $25,235 | 1.02 |
| Real estate and rental | 6,294 | 1.9% | $72,048 | 1.06 |
| Information | 4,460 | 1.3% | $93,873 | 0.62 |
| Utilities | 1,021 | 0.3% | $161,386 | 0.70 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 592 | 0.2% | $30,736 | 0.19 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 184 | 0.1% | $84,354 | 0.13 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 67.3% |
| Public transit | 0.8% |
| Walk | 2.1% |
| Work from home | 21.6% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 3.6% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $85,467 |
| Income per person | $58,576 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,350 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 19.0% |
| Median home value | $282,100 |
| Homeowners | 56.4% |
| Poverty rate | 8.8% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 97.0 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $51,210 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 10.90%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 40.1 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 96.9% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 68.6% |
| Born abroad | 14.0% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 65.5% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -4.4 | 24 | 58 |
| Feb | -3.9 | 25 | 56 |
| Mar | 0.5 | 33 | 62 |
| Apr | 6.8 | 44 | 78 |
| May | 13.7 | 57 | 85 |
| Jun | 19.0 | 66 | 93 |
| Jul | 22.3 | 72 | 98 |
| Aug | 21.6 | 71 | 86 |
| Sep | 17.9 | 64 | 86 |
| Oct | 10.7 | 51 | 100 |
| Nov | 4.3 | 40 | 69 |
| Dec | -1.2 | 30 | 76 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | NY | 4 mi | 208,772 | $47,213 | $1,081 |
| Irondequoit | NY | 6 mi | 50,657 | $79,162 | $1,159 |
| Auburn | NY | 53 mi | 26,285 | $51,052 | $897 |
| Lockport | NY | 56 mi | 20,610 | $62,410 | $945 |
| Oswego | NY | 59 mi | 17,033 | $53,172 | $1,109 |
| Cheektowaga | NY | 61 mi | 76,056 | $68,613 | $1,055 |
| West Seneca | NY | 62 mi | 45,303 | $79,709 | $1,106 |
| North Tonawanda | NY | 65 mi | 30,198 | $66,961 | $934 |
| Tonawanda Town | NY | 66 mi | 56,806 | $77,679 | $1,102 |
| Buffalo | NY | 66 mi | 276,854 | $50,041 | $1,046 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
36,834 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,350 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 19.0% of the median household income.
$85,467 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
4.2% (BLS county, Monroe County (latest month 2026M09)).
New York. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.