Population

Rock Island

36,758

Kalamazoo

73,132

Median Income

Rock Island

$57,292

Kalamazoo

$48,965

Home Value

Rock Island

$118,400

Kalamazoo

$164,500

Rent

Rock Island

$819

Kalamazoo

$1,031

Crime Rate

Rock Island

5.44

Kalamazoo

5.14

Cost of Living

Rock Island

88.8

Kalamazoo

91.2

Avg Temp

Rock Island

N/A

Kalamazoo

N/A

Unemployment

Rock Island

6.5%

Kalamazoo

6.9%

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How Similar Are Rock Island & Kalamazoo?

Kalamazoo is Rock Island's #9 most similar city

6/10

6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Rock Island

36,758

vs

Kalamazoo

73,132

Different · 50% difference

Kalamazoo has a 50% larger population than Rock Island.

Violent Crime

Rock Island

5.44

vs

Kalamazoo

5.14

Match · 5% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 5% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Rock Island

27.15

vs

Kalamazoo

28.60

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.

Political Leaning

Rock Island

44.4%

vs

Kalamazoo

40.3%

Match · 9% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 9% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Rock Island

6.5%

vs

Kalamazoo

6.9%

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.

Median Income

Rock Island

$57,292

vs

Kalamazoo

$48,965

Different · 15% difference
💰

Rock Island has a 15% higher median income than Kalamazoo.

Home Values

🏠

Rock Island

$118,400

vs

Kalamazoo

$164,500

Different · 28% difference

Kalamazoo has a 28% higher home values than Rock Island.

Education

Rock Island

14.4%

vs

Kalamazoo

19.8%

Different · 28% difference
🎓

Kalamazoo has a 28% higher education than Rock Island.

Demographics

🌍

Rock Island

68.0%

vs

Kalamazoo

62.9%

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.

Cost of Living

Rock Island

88.8

vs

Kalamazoo

91.2

Match · 3% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.

6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Rock Island and Kalamazoo share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Rock Island

vsof 8

0

Kalamazoo

Cost of Living & Affordability — Rock Island leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Rock Island scores 86.4 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 106.8 in Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo scores 74.3 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 83.1 in Rock Island. Kalamazoo scores 87.4 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 93.8 in Rock Island.

Overall Cost Index

Rock Island88.8
Kalamazoo91.2

Housing Index

Rock Island86.4
Kalamazoo106.8

Food Index

Rock Island93.8
Kalamazoo87.4

Transportation Index

Rock Island83.1
Kalamazoo74.3

Healthcare Index

Rock Island95.0
Kalamazoo89.9

Utilities Index

Rock Island93.6
Kalamazoo93.8

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Rock Island$39,063
Kalamazoo$40,139

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Rock Island$92,332
Kalamazoo$94,874

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Rock Island$928
Kalamazoo$998

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Rock Island$1,143
Kalamazoo$1,162

Housing Market — Rock Island leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Rock Island has a owner-occupied of 63.5% compared to 42.9% in Kalamazoo. Rock Island has a single-family homes of 70.4% compared to 53.7% in Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo has a median home value of $164,500 vs $118,400 in Rock Island (28% higher).

Median Home Value

Rock Island$118,400
Kalamazoo$164,500

Median Rent

Rock Island$819
Kalamazoo$1,031

Median Property Tax

Rock Island$2,861
Kalamazoo$2,754

Owner-Occupied

Rock Island63.5%
Kalamazoo42.9%

Vacancy Rate

Rock Island9.2%
Kalamazoo9.2%

Single-Family Homes

Rock Island70.4%
Kalamazoo53.7%

Jobs & Economy — Rock Island leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Kalamazoo: 39,998 vs Rock Island: 18,035 for labor force. Rock Island has a poverty rate of 20.9% compared to 27.0% in Kalamazoo. Rock Island has a per capita income of $32,507 vs $27,514 in Kalamazoo (18% higher).

Median Household Income

Rock Island$57,292
Kalamazoo$48,965

Per Capita Income

Rock Island$32,507
Kalamazoo$27,514

Poverty Rate

Rock Island20.9%
Kalamazoo27.0%

Unemployment Rate

Rock Island6.5%
Kalamazoo6.9%

Labor Force

Rock Island18,035
Kalamazoo39,998

Mean Commute

Rock Island18 min
Kalamazoo16 min

Work from Home

Rock Island8.8%
Kalamazoo8.9%

Private Sector

Rock Island89.6%
Kalamazoo87.2%

Government Sector

Rock Island43.2%
Kalamazoo42.7%

Crime & Safety — Kalamazoo leads

Source: FBI UCR

Kalamazoo has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 3.50 compared to 9.21 in Rock Island. Rock Island has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.14 compared to 0.78 in Kalamazoo. Rock Island has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 11.55 compared to 19.63 in Kalamazoo.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Rock Island5.44
Kalamazoo5.14

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Rock Island27.15
Kalamazoo28.60

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Rock Island0.06
Kalamazoo0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Rock Island0.14
Kalamazoo0.78

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Rock Island5.13
Kalamazoo3.95

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Rock Island9.21
Kalamazoo3.50

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Rock Island11.55
Kalamazoo19.63

Violent Crime Clearance

Rock Island49.7%
Kalamazoo56.8%

Property Crime Clearance

Rock Island8.9%
Kalamazoo11.8%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Rock IslandN/A
KalamazooN/A

Avg Annual High

Rock IslandN/A
KalamazooN/A

Avg Annual Low

Rock IslandN/A
KalamazooN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Rock IslandN/A
KalamazooN/A

Annual Rainfall

Rock IslandN/A
KalamazooN/A

Annual Snowfall

Rock IslandN/A
KalamazooN/A

Avg Humidity

Rock IslandN/A
KalamazooN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Kalamazoo has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.8% compared to 14.4% in Rock Island. Rock Island has a high school diploma or higher of 34.2% compared to 32.0% in Kalamazoo.

Public Schools

Rock Island0
Kalamazoo0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Rock IslandN/A
KalamazooN/A

Colleges & Universities

Rock Island0
Kalamazoo0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Rock Island14.4%
Kalamazoo19.8%

High School Diploma or Higher

Rock Island34.2%
Kalamazoo32.0%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Kalamazoo has a population of 73,132, about 2x the size of Rock Island (36,758). Kalamazoo skews younger with a median age of 26.8 vs 37.1.

Population

Rock Island36,758
Kalamazoo73,132

Median Age

Rock Island37
Kalamazoo27

Avg Household Size

Rock Island2.2
Kalamazoo2.3

Married Population

Rock Island32.6%
Kalamazoo24.5%

Foreign Born

Rock Island8.5%
Kalamazoo8.1%

White

Rock Island68.0%
Kalamazoo62.9%

Black

Rock Island16.4%
Kalamazoo22.7%

Hispanic

Rock Island13.5%
Kalamazoo8.6%

Asian

Rock Island3.4%
Kalamazoo2.8%

Rock Island

Kalamazoo

Healthcare — Kalamazoo leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Kalamazoo: 3.7 vs Rock Island: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Rock Island5
Kalamazoo5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Rock Island2.0
Kalamazoo3.7

With Emergency Services

Rock Island4
Kalamazoo4

Transportation & Commute — Kalamazoo leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Kalamazoo has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.1% in Rock Island. Rock Island has a public transit of 2.4% compared to 2.2% in Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo: 16 min vs Rock Island: 18 min for mean commute time.

Mean Commute Time

Rock Island18 min
Kalamazoo16 min

Drive Alone

Rock Island76.4%
Kalamazoo74.1%

Public Transit

Rock Island2.4%
Kalamazoo2.2%

Bicycle

Rock Island0.1%
Kalamazoo0.3%

Work from Home

Rock Island8.8%
Kalamazoo8.9%

Airports

Rock Island0
Kalamazoo0

Cities Similar to Rock Island, IL

Compare Rock Island against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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