CITY
Rockford
Illinois · 147,384 residents (2025 est.) · 65.1 sq mi
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Part of the Rockford metro area
Notable rankings
#192Largest by populationof 4,896147,384The short version
Rockford is a city of 147,521 people in Illinois. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $129,000. 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Households here earn about 34% less than in Illinois as a whole. Owners hold 55% of the housing stock. The poverty rate is 21.3%, above the 12.5% national rate.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 37.7
US median: 38.9
Less educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
More affordable
home values down 11%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth
147,521
−2%since 2000
from 150,115 in 2000
147,384 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
65.1 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024148K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.2%(9,179)
5 to 96.8%(10,030)
10 to 146.9%(10,179)
15 to 196.8%(10,083)
20 to 246.4%(9,465)
25 to 3413.6%(20,024)
35 to 4411.6%(17,074)
45 to 5411.6%(17,099)
55 to 6412.3%(18,188)
65 to 7410%(14,822)
75 to 844.7%(6,928)
85 and over3%(4,450)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$54,752
−20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,667 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
35.4%
+14.5 ptssince 2009
from 20.9% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade18.3%
Information12.8%
Finance & insurance7.8%
Professional, scientific, technical7.3%
Wholesale trade5.5%
Other services4.1%
Public administration2.8%
Transportation & warehousing2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
Education & health services0.5%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
Construction0.4%
Manufacturing0%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$129,000
−11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $79,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
2.4
−15%since 2009
from 2.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
29
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic68.4%(102,678)
Black17.2%(25,822)
Hispanic / Latino10.2%(15,278)
Asian2.2%(3,256)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic49.6%(73,144)
Black19.2%(28,272)
Hispanic / Latino21.6%(31,816)
Asian3.7%(5,401)
Other6%(8,888)
83
+21%since 2009
from 69 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican17%(25,132)
Puerto Rican1.4%(2,018)
Central American1.1%(1,671)
Salvadoran0.7%(977)
South American0.6%(860)
Cuban0.4%(585)
Guatemalan0.3%(407)
Ecuadorian0.3%(396)
Spaniard0.2%(265)
Colombian0.2%(252)
Dominican0.2%(250)
Honduran0.2%(234)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Laotian0.9%(1,260)
Asian Indian0.7%(1,093)
Burmese0.5%(674)
Chinese0.4%(604)
Filipino0.4%(563)
Vietnamese0.2%(278)
Korean0.1%(204)
Pakistani0.1%(122)
Thai0%(70)
Japanese0%(39)
Bangladeshi0%(20)
Taiwanese0%(17)
+ 1 more asian origin group with data
Mongolian0%(11)
Ancestry
German16.8%(24,839)
Irish9.7%(14,253)
English6.6%(9,733)
Italian5.6%(8,235)
Swedish5.1%(7,475)
Polish3.5%(5,198)
Norwegian2.3%(3,417)
American2.2%(3,303)
Subsaharan African1.7%(2,580)
Scottish1.3%(1,849)
French1%(1,458)
Arab1%(1,448)
+ 43 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.9%(1,341)
Danish0.6%(956)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(868)
Russian0.5%(749)
Iraqi0.5%(707)
Nigerian0.4%(614)
Swiss0.3%(481)
Czech0.3%(473)
Lithuanian0.3%(403)
Welsh0.3%(387)
West Indian0.3%(379)
Greek0.2%(307)
Jordanian0.2%(287)
Egyptian0.2%(273)
Hungarian0.2%(273)
Ukrainian0.1%(215)
French Canadian0.1%(202)
Croatian0.1%(184)
British0.1%(174)
Serbian0.1%(171)
Portuguese0.1%(169)
Finnish0.1%(133)
Slovak0.1%(118)
Jamaican0.1%(117)
Brazilian0.1%(109)
Ghanaian0.1%(76)
Belgian0%(71)
Austrian0%(69)
Canadian0%(68)
Ethiopian0%(68)
Haitian0%(52)
Romanian0%(50)
Lebanese0%(44)
Moroccan0%(38)
Israeli0%(30)
Australian0%(28)
Macedonian0%(27)
Iranian0%(20)
Slovene0%(20)
Kenyan0%(14)
Turkish0%(11)
Armenian0%(10)
Barbadian0%(7)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
84.9%
+7.1 ptssince 2000
from 77.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
71.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 71.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
92.4%
+3.9 ptssince 2020
from 88.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married42.6%(24,091)
Married41.9%(23,687)
Widowed3.5%(1,986)
Divorced11.9%(6,751)
Women 15+
Never married37.3%(22,999)
Married38.1%(23,499)
Widowed10.2%(6,275)
Divorced14.4%(8,845)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
10.5%
−1.9 ptssince 2020
from 12.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
1.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 2.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
52.3%
−2.2 ptssince 2020
from 54.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
52.7%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 52.1% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)17.7%(1,112)
Gulf War (1990s)15.2%(955)
Vietnam era35.3%(2,214)
Korean War8.4%(528)
World War II2.3%(143)
Share of the 6,277 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Rockford, Illinois?
Rockford, Illinois has about 147,521 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Rockford, Illinois?
The typical household in Rockford, Illinois earns about $54,752 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Rockford, Illinois expensive?
In Rockford, Illinois, the median home is worth about $129,000, and the typical rent is about $985 a month.
How educated are people in Rockford, Illinois?
About 23.5% of adults age 25 and over in Rockford, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Rockford, Illinois?
About 21.3% of people in Rockford, Illinois live below the federal poverty line.
Has Rockford, Illinois grown since 1990?
Yes, Rockford, Illinois has grown since 1990. The population has added about 8,095 residents, a change of about 6 percent over that period.
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IllinoisDATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024