Metro Life Score
Rockford, IL
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B, 61st percentile of the national corpus.
- 52.4
- Life Score / 100
- B
- Grade (curved)
- #150
- of 387 metros
- 61%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Rockford is above-median composite Life Score — #150 of 387 (52.4/100, grade B, 61st percentile). Carried by safety at 69/100; held back most by childcare at 26/100.
- 61st
- composite percentile
- #150
- of 387 peers
- 61st
- cost dimension percentile
- 54th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature composite
Rockford: mid-curve composite with a readable shape
Rockford is a mid-curve MID · SAFE-LED metro (composite #150, 52.4/100, 61st percentile). Cost MID (61st) · wages MID (54th). Strongest safety 69/100; weakest childcare 26/100; dimension gap 43. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Rockford, IL ranks #150 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #149 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 92.2 (rent-RPP 70.1). BLS median salary $64,710, 131,350 jobs (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Registered Nurses, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,175/mo (studio $810).
FBI UCR (IL): 277 violent, 1665 property/100K. NCES: 13.4:1 ratio, 3.5% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,257/yr. EPA: 56 Superfund sites (IL).
Where Rockford sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
52 61st percentile higher than 61% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 52.4 is built
Rockford's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Rockford scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are IL state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Rockford With...
Ranking Context
Rockford outranks 61% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #147 | Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | 52.5 | B |
| #148 | Fayetteville, NC | 52.5 | B |
| #149 | Joplin, MO-KS | 52.6 | B |
| #150 | Rockford, IL | 52.4 | B |
| #151 | Altoona, PA | 52.4 | B |
| #152 | Farmington, NM | 52.4 | B |
| #153 | Jackson, MI | 52.3 | B |
Quality vs. Affordability
Rockford, IL's quality rank (top 39% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 39% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
IL Metro Scores
Read with Rockford
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Rockford (MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Altoona, PA
ABS(composite) peer at 52.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Farmington, NM
ABS(composite) peer at 52.4 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Fayetteville, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 52.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Jackson, MI
ABS(composite) peer at 52.3 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Twin Falls, ID * (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 62/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Tyler, TX (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 61/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Rockford, IL relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Rockford's middle-third Life Score
Rockford scores 52.4/100 overall, but Safety (69.4) and Childcare (26.5) sit 43.0 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Rockford's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Childcare is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Decatur is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Decatur
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.