Demographics · IL
Rockford, IL demographics: 147,521 residents, with a median age of 37.7 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
147,521 people live in Rockford, at a median age of 37.7 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
Median age 37.7 years — younger than the U.S. median of 38.9.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)
In Rockford, the largest race group is White (52.6%); 21.6% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 12.6% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The median age in Rockford is 37.7 years (±0.7), younger than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 48.5% male and 51.5% female. The largest age band is 5 to 17 at 18.0%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 9,179 | 6.2% | ±596 |
| 5 to 17 | 26,498 | 18.0% | ±1,114 |
| 18 to 24 | 13,259 | 9.0% | ±760 |
| 25 to 34 | 20,024 | 13.6% | ±683 |
| 35 to 44 | 17,074 | 11.6% | ±797 |
| 45 to 54 | 17,099 | 11.6% | ±646 |
| 55 to 64 | 18,188 | 12.3% | ±924 |
| 65 to 74 | 14,822 | 10.0% | ±862 |
| 75 and over | 11,378 | 7.7% | ±714 |
Median age by sex: 36.3 (male) · 38.9 (female).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003
The largest race group in Rockford is White at 52.6% of the population. Separately, 21.6% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 77,558 | 52.6% | ±1,748 |
| Black or African American alone | 29,408 | 19.9% | ±1,395 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 1,525 | 1.0% | ±540 |
| Asian alone | 5,436 | 3.7% | ±514 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 96 | 0.1% | ±48 |
| Some other race alone | 13,461 | 9.1% | ±1,426 |
| Two or more races | 20,037 | 13.6% | ±1,811 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 31,816 | 21.6% | ±1,175 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010
Rockford has 61,324 households. 57.4% are family households and 35.2% are people living alone. The average household holds 2.34 people.
Total households
61,324
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
2.34
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.03
Family households
57.4%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
35.2%
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 61,324 | ±883 |
| Family households | 35,175 | ±768 |
| Nonfamily households | 26,149 | ±937 |
| Householder living alone | 21,571 | ±890 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001
12.6% of Rockford residents were born outside the United States. 77.9% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (15.6%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 12.6% | 18,560 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 77.9% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 15.6% | Spanish · 21,543 speakers · C16001 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B15003
23.5% of adults age 25 and over in Rockford hold a bachelor's degree or higher (the U.S. share is about 35%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 23.5% | B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →
Sources · provenance
The GEOID for Rockford is 1765000. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.