Rockford, Illinois
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Rockford.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Rockford compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 147,649City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $53,328Incorporated place (ACS)32% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 55ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)45% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $120,900City limits (ACS)60% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $954City limits (ACS)29% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 5.0%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 20 min20% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 4011% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 1174.2annualized per 100k · citywide95% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 3327annualized per 100k · citywide8% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 82°F5.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 18°F16.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 37.2 in13% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 2448% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Rockford with another city
About 147,649 people live in Rockford, IL. Households here report a median income near $53,328; our housing-derived cost index is about 55 (among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs). Entry home prices around $120,900 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Great Lakes winters and a dense rail/road grid define regional mobility. Winter lows around 18°F mean heating costs and snow logistics belong on the checklist. Commutes average near 20 minutes one-way, with walkability near 40/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 5.0% for the surrounding county. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~1174.2 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
Rockford is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Rockford with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Rockford city, 1600000US1765000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN172010000000003 (Winnebago County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00094822 ROCKFORD GTR ROCKFORD AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28