Population
Rockford
147,649
Waco
141,925
Median Income
Rockford
$53,328
Waco
$51,468
Home Value
Rockford
$120,900
Waco
$199,600
Rent
Rockford
$954
Waco
$1,098
Crime Rate
Rockford
10.81
Waco
4.26
Cost of Living
Rockford
90.8
Waco
97.5
Avg Temp
Rockford
N/A
Waco
N/A
Unemployment
Rockford
8.6%
Waco
4.4%
How Similar Are Rockford & Waco?
Waco is Rockford's #4 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Rockford
147,649
Waco
141,925
Both cities have similar populations — Rockford at 147,649 and Waco at 141,925.
Violent Crime
Rockford
10.81
Waco
4.26
Rockford's violent crime is significantly higher than Waco's — 61% difference.
Property Crime
Rockford
25.17
Waco
21.26
Rockford has a 16% higher property crime than Waco.
Political Leaning
Rockford
63.9%
Waco
64.9%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 2% difference.
Unemployment
Rockford
8.6%
Waco
4.4%
Rockford has a 49% higher unemployment than Waco.
Median Income
Rockford
$53,328
Waco
$51,468
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Rockford
$120,900
Waco
$199,600
Waco has a 39% higher home values than Rockford.
Education
Rockford
15.5%
Waco
16.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 5% difference.
Demographics
Rockford
55.5%
Waco
54.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.
Cost of Living
Rockford
90.8
Waco
97.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Rockford and Waco share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Rockford
0
Waco
Rockford leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Rockford leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDRockford scores 97.2 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 119.8 in Waco. Rockford has a fair market rent (1br) of $852 vs $996 in Waco (14% lower). Rockford has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,118 vs $1,240 in Waco (10% lower).
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 — Rockford leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaco has a median home value of $199,600 vs $120,900 in Rockford (39% higher). Rockford has a vacancy rate of 9.6% compared to 12.1% in Waco. Rockford has a median rent of $954 vs $1,098 in Waco (13% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Rockford leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaco has a unemployment rate of 4.4% compared to 8.6% in Rockford. Rockford has a poverty rate of 21.9% compared to 24.0% in Waco. Rockford has a government sector of 44.5% compared to 41.3% in Waco.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Waco leads
Source: FBI UCRWaco has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.72 compared to 8.91 in Rockford. Waco has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 4.26 compared to 10.81 in Rockford. Waco has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.13 in Rockford.
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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauRockford has a high school diploma or higher of 35.6% compared to 31.7% in Waco. Waco has a bachelor's degree or higher of 16.3% compared to 15.5% in Rockford.
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 ACSRockford has a population of 147,649, about 1x the size of Waco (141,925). Waco skews younger with a median age of 29.2 vs 37.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Rockford
Waco
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareRockford: 5 vs Waco: 4 for with emergency services. Waco: 3.0 vs Rockford: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Waco leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaco has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.2% in Rockford. Rockford has a public transit of 1.0% compared to 0.7% in Waco. Waco has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 7.9% in Rockford.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Rockford, IL
Compare Rockford 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.