Rockford
- B-Overall Grade
- City in Illinois
- 337 reviews
- Public SchoolsC+
- Crime & SafetyC-
- HousingC+
- NightlifeB+
- Good for FamiliesB-
- DiversityA+
- JobsC+
- WeatherC+
- Cost of LivingB+
- Health & FitnessC+
- Outdoor ActivitiesA-
- CommuteB+
Real Estate
Median Home Value
$89,500
National
$184,700Median Rent
$731
National
$949Sponsored Mortgage Options for Rockford
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Rockford Rankings
Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.
Crime & Safety
Crime & Safety
C-
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Residents
Colleges in Rockford
- Best
- A-Z
- B-
Rockford University
- 4 Year
- Rockford, IL
- 192 reviews
- B-
Rock Valley College
- 2 Year
- Rockford, IL
- 591 reviews
- C+
Rockford Career College
- 2 Year
- Rockford, IL
- 56 reviews
- C-
Rasmussen College - Rockford
- 4 Year
- Rockford, IL
- 127 reviews
- NG
Educators of Beauty - Rockford
- 2 Year
- Rockford, IL
- 1 of 2
Working in Rockford
Jobs
C+
Based on employment rates, job and business growth, and cost of living.
Median Household Income
$41,991
National
$55,322Rockford Reviews
337 reviews
All Categories
I’ve lived in Rockford Illinois for 14 years and it is really my hometown at this point. I’ve gone through years where I love it and years where I absolutely cannot wait to leave but usually my opinion on Rockford is “eh, it’s alright”. Right now our mayor has implemented a phases of bringing community together and it’s slow going but man are people taking pride in this place and it’s awesome! If I could change something if would be that Rockford would be a safer place to wander about because there’s so many wonderful places to go but people don’t feel safe and therefore don’t go anywhere.
I'm a 25 year old AA Female. I was born and raised in Rockford. Pros- Diversity! I loved growing up having friends of all races and economic statuses. I never had any racial issues in Rockford. There's a bunch of factories and call centers for employment if you're looking for entry level work. Housing is way cheaper than larger cities. Cons- There's nothing to do. East State Street is pretty much the beginning and end of entertainment, dining and shopping. Crime rate has sky rocketed within the last 5 years. Rockford used to be safe. Growing up, I used to stay outside all day long playing with friends til 9 or 10pm. Now kids cant even be outiside for fear that they may get hit by a stray bullet. Rockford is pretty much like a mini Chicago as far as crime goes, but it's missing the good qualities that Chicago has to offer.
Rockford offers a good community to raise a child. A mixture between suburban America and urban America, Rockford is a part of fly-over America. There is nothing spectacular or amazing about the city itself. The residents of the city are also lackluster. The city itself has a small downtown area with little to do. A once great manufacturing city, Rockford now has a declining population. New events have emerged from the Rockford City Counsel in an attempt to create nostalgia for younger children. Although these events are very fun and will most likely perform the task they were made for, these still do not make up for blandness. The recent documentary "Minding the Gap" displays the poverty gap in Rockford, which has only seemed to grow wider. While Rockford is a very safe place in a majority of areas, the poor neighborhoods suffer gang violence. Overall, Rockford is a very average, bland city.