Winnebago County · Illinois · Midwest · 148k residents
Rockford, IL: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Rockford: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Illinois median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,179/wk. Illinois's corporate income tax rate is 9.5%. Commercial electricity averages 11.8¢/kWh.
Compare Rockford side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,179/wk
Corporate income tax
9.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
23.5%
Commercial electricity
11.8¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Rockford's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
32/100
Cooling
Ranks Rockford's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $129,000 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $175 |
| Property tax rate | 2.1% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $725/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,004/mo |
| State & local income tax | 4.95% |
| Sales tax | 8.85% |
| Corporate income tax | 9.5% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,179/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.5% |
| Commercial electricity | 11.8¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 20.4/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $107,640 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $80,930 |
| Wage: General manager | $98,390 |
| Wage: Customer service | $43,260 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $36,020 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $59,900 |
| Wage: Electrician | $93,280 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $33,540 |
| Cost of living index | 80 |
| Groceries index | 98 |
| Utilities | $165/mo |
| Transit pass | $75/mo |
| Gas price | $3.65/gal |
| Healthcare index | 98 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,300/mo |
| Median household income | $54,752 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% |
| Population | 148k |
| Crime index | 50/100 |
| School rating | 6.3/10 |
| Walkability | 38/100 |
| Disaster risk | 92/100 |
| Avg. commute | 29 min |
| Sunny days / year | 190 days |
| July high | 84°F |
| January low | 15°F |
| Annual snowfall | 37 in |
| Home price YoY | +10.0% |
| Home price MoM | +0.4% |
| Rent YoY | +9.6% |
| Rent MoM | +1.5% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -0.6% |
| Building permits YoY | -8.1% |
| Ocean coast | 776 mi |
| Big lake | 36 mi |
| Mountains | 337 mi |
| Major airport | 60 mi |
| Ski resort | 184 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Loves Park, IL · 24k
- Machesney Park, IL · 23k
- Belvidere, IL · 25k
- Freeport, IL · 24k
- Sycamore, IL · 19k
Similar size
- Joliet, IL · 150k
- Naperville, IL · 151k
- Aurora, IL · 180k
- Elgin, IL · 115k
- Springfield, IL · 113k
Real listings in Rockford
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Rockford a good place to run a business?
- Illinois's corporate income tax rate is 9.5%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,179/wk; commercial electricity averages 11.8¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Rockford, IL?
- Rockford indexes at 80 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,004/mo and a acs median home value of $129,000.
- How much does a house cost in Rockford?
- The acs median home value in Rockford is $129,000 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Rockford?
- A two-bedroom in Rockford rents for about $1,004/mo.