Peoria composite
63.9 /100
Grade A · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Peoria vs Rockford
Peoria, IL and Rockford, IL side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 63.9
- Peoria Life Score
- A
- Peoria grade
- 57.1
- Rockford Life Score
- B+
- Rockford grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Peoria scores higher on 5 (cost of living, wages, rent, safety, childcare) and Rockford on 2 (schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Peoria vs Rockford across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Peoria Rockford ◗
cost of living
68
62
wages
68
54
rent
90
68
safety
63
63
schools
41
41
childcare
27
26
environment
69
76
Peoria and Rockford differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Peoria has a cost-of-living index of 91.2 vs Rockford's 92.2 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $67,453 in Peoria and $64,710 in Rockford. A 2-bedroom averages $1,039/mo vs $1,175/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Peoria vs Rockford Comparison
Peoria (IL) and Rockford (IL) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 91.2 for Peoria against 92.2 for Rockford, a 0.9-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,039/mo in Peoria and $1,175/mo in Rockford, a $136/mo difference that compounds to $1,632 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $67,453 across 158,390 jobs in Peoria against $64,710 across 131,350 jobs in Rockford. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Peoria carries the same local purchasing power as $101,012 in Rockford - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 277.5 per 100,000 residents in IL vs 277.5 in IL, with property-crime rates of 1664.8 and 1664.8 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: IL lists 3,845 public schools at a 14.0:1 student-teacher ratio, while IL lists 3,845 schools at 14.0:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $12,257/yr in the Peoria area versus $12,257/yr in Rockford - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Peoria and Rockford are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Rockford composite
57.1 /100
Grade B+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
-0.9 pts
Peoria vs Rockford BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$136 /mo
Rockford priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Peoria
Peoria composite (Grade A)
Rockford
Rockford composite (Grade B+)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Peoria | Rockford |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 91.2 | 92.2 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 93.6 |
| Services | 90.5 | 89.4 |
| Rents | 63.8 | 70.1 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Rockford gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Peoria?
$
Equivalent in Rockford:
$101,012
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Peoria: 91.2, Rockford: 92.2, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Peoria | Rockford |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $758/mo | $810/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $818/mo | $895/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,039/mo | $1,175/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,346/mo | $1,555/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,449/mo | $1,594/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Peoria | Rockford |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $67,453 | $64,710 |
| Total Employment | 158,390 | 131,350 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Peoria (IL) | Rockford (IL) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 277.5 | 277.5 |
| Property Crime | 1664.8 | 1664.8 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | IL | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 3,845 | 3,845 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 14.0:1 | 14.0:1 |
| Charter Schools | 3.5% | 3.5% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | IL | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $12,257/yr | $12,257/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $10,556/yr | $10,556/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $9,481/yr | $9,481/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | IL | IL |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 1,145 | 1,145 |
| Water Systems | 1,783 | 1,783 |
| Superfund Sites | 56 | 56 |
| Water Violations | 2,825 | 2,825 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Peoria | Rockford |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 44.0 | 43.0 |
| Good Air Days | 68.6% | 69.0% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 0 days | 3 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | IL | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 25/100 | 25/100 |
| Total Violations | 355,322 | 355,322 |
| Health-Based Violations | 52,932 | 52,932 |
| Systems with Violations | 80.8% | 80.8% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | IL | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 687 | 687 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | IL | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 57/100 | 57/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 54.5 | 54.5 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 56.1 | 56.1 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Peoria more expensive than Rockford? ▼
Peoria has a cost of living index of 91.2 compared to Rockford's 92.2 (national average = 100). Rockford is 0.9 points above Peoria on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Peoria and Rockford? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,039/mo in Peoria vs $1,175/mo in Rockford, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $758/mo to $810/mo.
How do salaries compare between Peoria and Rockford? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $67,453 in Peoria and $64,710 in Rockford, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Peoria has the same purchasing power as $101,012 in Rockford.
Is Peoria or Rockford safer? ▼
At the state level, IL has a violent crime rate of 277.5 per 100,000 residents compared to IL's 277.5 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1664.8 vs 1664.8 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Peoria and Rockford? ▼
IL has 3,845 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 14.0:1, while IL has 3,845 schools at 14.0:1. Charter schools make up 3.5% of IL schools vs 3.5% in IL. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
Explore more
Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial