Housing Value★★★★★★★★★★4.6 / 5Home values compared with local household income.
Living in Rockford, IL
Explore Rockford and see how it fits the life you want to build.
147,521
Population
Ogle & Winnebago Counties
Counties
City
Place Type
Illinois
State
OrdinancesLocal Rules
Overall Match6.9 / 10
Baseline match from currently available location scores. Choose priorities to personalize it.
Rockford at a Glance
Key facts and current data
Population147,521
Median Household Income$54,752
Median Home Value$129,000
Median Gross Rent$985
Median Age37.7
Average Household Size2.3
Unemployment8.5%
Work From Home10.1%
Homeownership54.9%
Housing Vacancy9.0%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year.
Rockford is large enough to contain meaningfully different residential, commercial and employment areas rather than functioning as one uniform market. Home values are relatively modest compared with local household income, giving the area a comparatively favorable ownership-affordability signal. Unemployment is elevated enough that job location and industry-specific opportunities deserve closer review.
Experience the Area
Experience Life in Rockford Before You Move
Explore Short-Term Stays in Rockford →Stay options powered by Stay22 · affiliate
NarrowTheList highly recommends you spend a week or two in Rockford and experience everyday life before deciding whether it is the right place to call home. Use that time to explore neighborhoods, drive your normal routes, shop where residents shop, and get a feel for the area at different times of day.
NarrowTheList Ratings
Data-driven starter ratings. More categories appear automatically as new datasets are added.
Housing & Cost of Living in Rockford
Current housing indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau
Median Home Value$129,000
Median Gross Rent$985
Homeownership54.9%
Housing Vacancy9.0%
Home values are comparatively balanced against local household income, although individual neighborhoods can still vary substantially. Renters make up a substantial share of the local housing market.
Jobs, Income & Remote Work
Employment and household-income context for Rockford, IL
Median Household Income$54,752
Unemployment8.5%
Work From Home10.1%
The reported unemployment rate is elevated enough to warrant a closer look at current local employment conditions. A meaningful share of employed residents work from home.
Population & Household Profile
Who lives in Rockford and how households are structured
Population147,521
Median Age37.7
Average Household Size2.3
Rockford is a mid-sized community where neighborhood and nearby-employment patterns can materially affect a relocation decision.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year. NarrowTheList presents these values as relocation context; conditions can vary within a community.
Climate & Weather in Rockford
Long-term NOAA climate normals and practical seasonal context
NOAA climate normals for Rockford point to warm summers, cold winters, a wetter annual rainfall pattern and substantial annual snowfall.
Average Summer High83.9°F
Average Winter Low14.5°F
Annual Rainfall38.0 in.
Annual Snowfall37.1 in.
Seasonal Life in Rockford
What the long-term climate pattern may mean for everyday living.
Spring
Spring is a useful time to evaluate how quickly outdoor conditions become comfortable and how seasonal rain affects everyday routines.
Summer
Summer is warm enough that shade and cooling still matter, but the typical high is below the extreme-heat range seen in many hotter U.S. markets.
Fall
Fall marks a substantial seasonal transition here. It is a useful time to judge how quickly temperatures change and whether that seasonal swing fits the lifestyle you want.
Winter
Freezing winter lows and meaningful snowfall make snow removal, winter driving, heating costs and cold-weather routines important parts of evaluating the area.
Source: NOAA/NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Seasonal descriptions are relocation context derived from the available long-term normals, not a forecast.
County Intelligence
Rockford & Its Counties
Medium
Foreclosure Activity
Rockford spans Ogle and Winnebago counties.
Living in a community that crosses county lines can make location within Rockford especially important. Property taxes, housing characteristics, public services and other county-level factors may vary depending on which part of the community you call home.
Current NarrowTheList data for Rockford shows a population of about 147,521. These local figures become more useful when read together with county-level tax, housing, foreclosure and demographic conditions rather than treated as isolated city statistics.
Foreclosure Activity: Medium. Current signal uses NarrowTheList foreclosure-opportunity data until direct county delinquency and foreclosure datasets are connected.
For someone comparing homes, county boundaries can matter because taxes, public services, court and recording systems, assessment practices and housing-market conditions are often administered or reported at the county level. NarrowTheList keeps that county relationship attached to the community so future tax, foreclosure, housing and demographic data can be interpreted in the correct geographic context.
County relationship
Ogle County and Winnebago County
How NarrowTheList uses it
NarrowTheList connects Rockford with all 2 of its counties rather than assigning the community to only one. As additional county data becomes available, those differences can be compared alongside city-level information to help identify which parts of the area may better fit your priorities.
For someone considering a move to Rockford, the available data currently points to comparatively attainable ownership costs relative to local income and employment conditions that make job-specific research important. These signals are most useful when considered alongside the specific neighborhood, commute and housing type that fit the household making the move.
Nearby Cities & Communities
Nearby incorporated cities, towns, villages and other municipalities shown by straight-line distance.