Population
Rock Island
36,758
Waterloo
66,947
Median Income
Rock Island
$57,292
Waterloo
$56,344
Home Value
Rock Island
$118,400
Waterloo
$150,200
Rent
Rock Island
$819
Waterloo
$896
Crime Rate
Rock Island
5.44
Waterloo
4.76
Cost of Living
Rock Island
88.8
Waterloo
91.8
Avg Temp
Rock Island
N/A
Waterloo
N/A
Unemployment
Rock Island
6.5%
Waterloo
6.4%
How Similar Are Rock Island & Waterloo?
Waterloo is Rock Island's #1 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Rock Island
36,758
Waterloo
66,947
Waterloo has a 45% larger population than Rock Island.
Violent Crime
Rock Island
5.44
Waterloo
4.76
Rock Island has a 13% higher violent crime than Waterloo.
Property Crime
Rock Island
27.15
Waterloo
24.45
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 10% difference.
Political Leaning
Rock Island
44.4%
Waterloo
48.8%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 9% difference.
Unemployment
Rock Island
6.5%
Waterloo
6.4%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 2% difference.
Median Income
Rock Island
$57,292
Waterloo
$56,344
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Rock Island
$118,400
Waterloo
$150,200
Waterloo has a 21% higher home values than Rock Island.
Education
Rock Island
14.4%
Waterloo
14.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
Rock Island
68.0%
Waterloo
69.1%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 2% difference.
Cost of Living
Rock Island
88.8
Waterloo
91.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Rock Island and Waterloo are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Rock Island
0
Waterloo
Waterloo leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Rock Island leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDWaterloo has a fair market rent (1br) of $801 vs $928 in Rock Island (16% lower). Waterloo has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,051 vs $1,143 in Rock Island (9% lower). Rock Island scores 86.4 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 94.5 in Waterloo.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaterloo has a median home value of $150,200 vs $118,400 in Rock Island (21% higher). Waterloo has a median property tax of $2,498 vs $2,861 in Rock Island (15% lower). Rock Island has a median rent of $819 vs $896 in Waterloo (9% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Waterloo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaterloo: 34,480 vs Rock Island: 18,035 for labor force. Waterloo has a poverty rate of 16.4% compared to 20.9% in Rock Island. Rock Island has a work from home of 8.8% compared to 7.1% in Waterloo.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Waterloo leads
Source: FBI UCRWaterloo has a property crime clearance of 23.4% compared to 8.9% in Rock Island. Rock Island has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.14 compared to 0.35 in Waterloo. Waterloo has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 5.86 compared to 9.21 in Rock Island.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Waterloo leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauWaterloo has a high school diploma or higher of 38.3% compared to 34.2% in Rock Island. Waterloo has a bachelor's degree or higher of 14.9% compared to 14.4% in Rock Island.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaterloo has a population of 66,947, about 1.8x the size of Rock Island (36,758).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Rock Island
Waterloo
Healthcare — Waterloo leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareWaterloo: 3.5 vs Rock Island: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Waterloo: 5 vs Rock Island: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRock Island has a public transit of 2.4% compared to 0.4% in Waterloo. Waterloo has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.1% in Rock Island. Rock Island has a work from home of 8.8% compared to 7.1% in Waterloo.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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.