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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Rockford Metro

Rockford, IL · 2 counties · 338,798 residents · 794 sq mi
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The short version

With 338,798 people, Rockford is a metro area. Median home value sits at $127,584. 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median rent is $834 a month. The median household earns $57,690, about 13% below the national median. Headcount has barely moved since 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 40.0
US median: 38.8
Less educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
More affordable
home values down 10%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
338,798
+6%since 2000
from 320,204 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
427 / sq mi
+6%since 2000
from 403 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
40.0
+12%since 2000
from 35.7 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
794 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
277K297K317K336K356K19902000201020202024Rockford
2024337K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.9%(20,003)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.3%(21,226)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.9%(23,280)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.7%(22,828)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246%(20,189)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412.2%(41,342)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4411.9%(40,429)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.7%(42,961)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413.8%(46,678)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410.3%(34,884)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.3%(17,997)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.1%(6,981)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$57,690
−15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $44,997 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$30,330
+43%since 2000
from $21,246 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
37.4%
+8.6 ptssince 2009
from 28.8% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
14.6%
+5.3 ptssince 2000
from 9.3% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade22.8%
US avg: 10%
Information11.3%
US avg: 11.1%
Wholesale trade6.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance5.7%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical5%
US avg: 4.7%
Other services3.9%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration3%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.8%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$127,584
−10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $94,815 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$834
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $516 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
67.3%
−3.9 ptssince 2000
from 71.1% in 2000
32.7% rent
Persons per household
2.47 people
−7%since 2009
from 2.67 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
2.2
−18%since 2009
from 2.7 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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic80.1%(256,353)
Black9.2%(29,390)
Hispanic / Latino7.6%(24,425)
Asian1.5%(4,922)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic64.9%(219,924)
Black11.6%(39,411)
Hispanic / Latino15.9%(53,832)
Asian2.5%(8,575)
Other3.1%(10,431)
Segregation Score
40
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican12.3%(41,408)
Puerto Rican0.9%(3,056)
Central American0.3%(1,047)
South American0.3%(1,000)
Cuban0.3%(850)
Spaniard0.2%(679)
Guatemalan0.2%(627)
Ecuadorian0.1%(285)
Honduran0.1%(194)
Salvadoran0.1%(172)
Argentine0.1%(172)
Venezuelan0.1%(165)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Colombian0%(135)
Chilean0%(119)
Peruvian0%(94)
Costa Rican0.1%(54)
Bolivian0.1%(30)
Dominican0%(21)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.5%(1,626)
Filipino0.5%(1,532)
Laotian0.3%(997)
Chinese0.3%(906)
Burmese0.2%(488)
Vietnamese0.1%(458)
Korean0.1%(383)
Pakistani0.1%(367)
Mongolian0.1%(231)
Thai0.1%(222)
Japanese0.1%(162)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(115)
Fijian0%(2)
Ancestry
German22.2%(74,724)
Irish11.8%(39,677)
English7.6%(25,505)
Swedish7.4%(24,923)
Italian7.1%(23,813)
Polish3.9%(13,200)
Norwegian3.4%(11,483)
American3%(10,160)
French1.7%(5,842)
Scottish1.4%(4,866)
Dutch1.3%(4,471)
+ 46 more ancestry groups with data
Scotch-Irish0.6%(1,927)
Danish0.6%(1,858)
Czech0.5%(1,681)
Welsh0.5%(1,655)
Swiss0.5%(1,567)
British0.5%(1,548)
Russian0.4%(1,489)
French Canadian0.4%(1,212)
Lithuanian0.3%(1,169)
Greek0.3%(963)
Finnish0.2%(765)
Iraqi0.3%(763)
West Indian0.3%(734)
Arab0.2%(704)
Serbian0.2%(575)
Ukrainian0.2%(558)
Belgian0.2%(533)
Nigerian0.1%(487)
Brazilian0.1%(466)
Hungarian0.1%(399)
Egyptian0.1%(321)
Jamaican0.1%(321)
Slovak0.1%(319)
Jordanian0.1%(309)
Croatian0.1%(299)
Haitian0.1%(299)
Austrian0.1%(275)
Romanian0.1%(263)
Barbadian0.1%(212)
Lebanese0.1%(200)
Canadian0%(161)
Kenyan0.1%(157)
Slovene0.1%(150)
Armenian0%(140)
Iranian0%(132)
Latvian0%(97)
Moroccan0%(88)
Ethiopian0%(65)
Turkish0%(44)
Bulgarian0%(34)
Syrian0%(22)
Ghanaian0%(13)
Israeli0%(10)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
23.2%
+4.4 ptssince 2000
from 18.7% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
87.6%
+6.3 ptssince 2000
from 81.3% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
8.4%
+2.0 ptssince 2000
from 6.4% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.8 min
+67%since 2000
from 14.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
82.1%
−2.1 ptssince 2009
from 84.2% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
7.8%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
7.7%
−3.4 ptssince 2011
from 11.2% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
63.9%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 65.5% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.7%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
30.9%
+2.6 ptssince 2009
from 28.3% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.0%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
51.0%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
8.8%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 7.9% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
6.0%
−6.6 ptssince 2013
from 12.6% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
90.9%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
86.7%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married36.7%(48,501)
Married49.3%(65,198)
Widowed3%(3,916)
Divorced11%(14,549)
Women 15+
Never married31.2%(43,624)
Married46.1%(64,413)
Widowed9.2%(12,893)
Divorced13.4%(18,727)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
6.0%
−6.6 ptssince 2013
from 12.6% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
54.6%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
13.4%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
19.4%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
24.9%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.2%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
65.9%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
42.0%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)13.6%(2,598)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)17.4%(3,337)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era37.2%(7,122)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War8.3%(1,582)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II4.2%(799)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 19,161 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
In this metro

Largest cities

RockfordCENTRAL147,384Belvidere25,462Loves Park23,712Machesney Park22,805Roscoe11,034South Beloit7,996Rockton7,870Candlewick Lake5,448Poplar Grove5,206Winnebago2,903Cherry Valley2,887Pecatonica2,052Westlake1,414Capron1,407Durand1,380Timberlane908New Milford808Garden Prairie403Argyle324Caledonia183
What's inside

2 component counties

Winnebago CountyCENTRAL283,674Boone CountyCENTRAL53,568
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Rockford

Clarksville
Pop 349,001
South Bend
Pop 324,538
Roanoke
Pop 316,547
Waco
Pop 308,807
Places similar to Rockford
Head to head

Compare Rockford side by side

ROCKFORD VS
Clarksville
Income$70,081+21%
Home value$250,970+97%
Population349,001+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCKFORD VS
South Bend
Income$67,435+17%
Home value$196,800+54%
Population324,538−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCKFORD VS
Roanoke
Income$70,385+22%
Home value$244,820+92%
Population316,547−6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ROCKFORD VS
Waco
Income$66,246+15%
Home value$233,362+83%
Population308,807−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Rockford, IL?

Rockford, IL has about 338,798 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Rockford, IL?

The typical household in Rockford, IL earns about $57,690 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Rockford, IL expensive?

In Rockford, IL, the median home is worth about $127,584, and the typical rent is about $834 a month.

How educated are people in Rockford, IL?

About 23.2% of adults age 25 and over in Rockford, IL hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Rockford, IL?

About 14.6% of people in Rockford, IL live below the federal poverty line.

Has Rockford, IL grown since 1990?

Yes, Rockford, IL has grown since 1990. The population has added about 55,079 residents, a change of about 19 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →