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CITY

Rockford

Illinois · 147,384 residents (2025 est.) · 65.084 sq mi
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Notable rankings
#192Largest by populationof 4,896147,384
The short version

Rockford has notably lower household income than the US average, with a median household income of $54,752. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. Median home value has risen by half since 2000, reaching $129,000. The poverty rate of 21.3% is well above the national figure. Households here earn about 34% less than the Illinois median.

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

Total population
147,521
−2%since 2000
from 150,115 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
2,267 / sq mi
−6%since 2009
from 2,415 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
37.7
+10%since 2000
from 34.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:147,384 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
138K143K148K154K159K1990201020202024Rockford
2024148K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.2%(9,179)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.8%(10,030)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.9%(10,179)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.8%(10,083)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.4%(9,465)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.6%(20,024)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.6%(17,074)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.6%(17,099)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.3%(18,188)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410%(14,822)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.7%(6,928)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over3%(4,450)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$54,752
−20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,667 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$31,263
+58%since 2000
from $19,781 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
35.4%
+14.5 ptssince 2009
from 20.9% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
21.3%
+7.3 ptssince 2000
from 14.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.474
Unchangedsince 2010
from 0.473 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade18.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Information12.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance7.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical7.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade5.5%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services4.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$129,000
−11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $79,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$985
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $498 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
54.9%
−6.1 ptssince 2000
from 61.1% in 2000
45.1% rent
Vacancy rate
9.0%
−4.4 ptssince 2009
from 13.5% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
19.3%
−12.3 ptssince 2009
from 31.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
50.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 50.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.4
−15%since 2009
from 2.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
29
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Rockford on RentDataNow
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)
Diversity Score
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)
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)
Taiwanese0%(17)
+ 1 more asian origin group with data
Mongolian0%(11)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(25)
Fijian0%(15)
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)
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)
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)
Iranian0%(20)
Slovene0%(20)
Kenyan0%(14)
Turkish0%(11)
Armenian0%(10)
RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest English population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
23.5%
+3.6 ptssince 2000
from 19.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
84.9%
+7.1 ptssince 2000
from 77.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
9.0%
+1.8 ptssince 2000
from 7.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.9 min
+68%since 2000
from 13.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
74.3%
−7.8 ptssince 2009
from 82.1% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
11.7%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.0%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.4% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
10.1%
+7.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.0% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.3%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
12.7%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 10.8% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
8.5%
−4.9 ptssince 2011
from 13.4% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
59.3%
−2.6 ptssince 2011
from 61.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
10.7%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 11.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
30.1%
−31.0 ptssince 2009
from 61.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.5%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.4% in 2009
Female
51.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.6% in 2009
Foreign born
12.6%
+2.5 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.6%
−42.2 ptssince 2009
from 47.8% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
17.5%
+4.0 ptssince 2012
from 13.5% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.2%
−78.0 ptssince 2013
from 85.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
86.6%
+14.3 ptssince 2017
from 72.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
77.9%
−2.4 ptssince 2016
from 80.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
15.6%
+1.4 ptssince 2016
from 14.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
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
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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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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →