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Place dossier plate
SheetIL-ROCK-FALLS-IL · Rock Falls, IL 8,683 pop · income 18th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Rock Falls
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Rock Falls on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Vega Alta zon… · lowest
23,682
Vega Alta zon… · lowest
23,682 median HH income
9.5% of the leader · rank #1
Montpelier · near
48,720
Montpelier · near
48,720 median HH income
19.5% of the leader · rank #2
Walton · near
48,725
Walton · near
48,725 median HH income
19.5% of the leader · rank #3
Arcata · near
48,731
Arcata · near
48,731 median HH income
19.5% of the leader · rank #4
Rock Falls · this city
48,733
Rock Falls · this city
48,733 median HH income
19.5% of the leader · rank #5
Muskogee · near
48,735
Muskogee · near
48,735 median HH income
19.5% of the leader · rank #6
Glencoe · highest
250,001
Glencoe · highest
250,001 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Rock Falls on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 8,683.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Rock Falls - the verdict
Rock Falls ranks in the 18th percentile for household income and the 10th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
18th
percentile, household income
4th
percentile, home value
18th
percentile, median rent
10th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Rock Falls, IL
8,683 people live in Rock Falls, Illinois - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Rock Falls households earn a median of $48,733 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 20.4%. Rock Falls's housing stock carries a median value of $82,400, and the median resident age is 39.9 years. About 15.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 59.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 2 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Low Activity). Rock Falls's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 3569.3 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, above the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Illinois tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Illinois scores 100.0 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,063 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Illinois run around $240, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 54.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Rock Falls's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to housing and income to schools and households to work and mobility to reported crime to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Rock Falls, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Which cities make useful reference points for Rock Falls?
Within Illinois, the closest population matches are Lake Villa (8,707 residents, $111,110 income); Glencoe (8,715 residents, $250,000+ income); Clarendon Hills (8,642 residents, $125,826 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Arizona, AZ (8,681 residents); Vega Alta zona urbana, PR (8,681 residents); Orosi, CA (8,679 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
How far does income reach against housing in Rock Falls?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 20.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
What does the education layer cover for Rock Falls?
The NCES join finds 7 public schools within the city match. 15.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
What does the journey to work look like in Rock Falls?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 84.4%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Rock Falls?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3569.3 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 57% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
2972.5
Violent rate
596.8
Total reported rate
3569.3
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Is Rock Falls growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -249 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 2 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-2.8%
2025 estimate
8,521
2020 estimate
8,770
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Illinois average
F
City profile score · Rock Falls, IL
20/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living D
100.0 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share F
15.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$48,733
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
20.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
597 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Rock Falls profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 40/100 (D) · 100.0 index
Bachelor's+ share: 20/100 (F) · 15.0%
Household income: 19/100 (F) · $48,733
Poverty rate: 13/100 (F) · 20.4%
Violent crime: 10/100 (F) · 597 /100k
Where Rock Falls sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Rock Falls's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Rock Falls highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Rock Falls, IL (this city): home $82,400, crime 3,569/100k
Fort Mitchell, KY : home $354,700, crime 812/100k
Spring Hill, KS : home $323,300, crime 827/100k
Lake Villa, IL : home $325,900, crime 605/100k
Glencoe, IL : home $1,354,900, crime 625/100k
Clarendon Hills, IL : home $595,500, crime 434/100k
Mascoutah, IL : home $226,300, crime 390/100k
Glenwood, IL : home $182,900, crime 1,976/100k
Harrisburg, IL : home $84,800, crime 691/100k
How does Rock Falls compare to other US cities?
Here's how Rock Falls stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income18% higher than other cities
Home value4% pricier than other cities
Median rent18% pricier than other cities
Safety10% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Illinois, Rock Falls ranks #434 of 455 Illinois cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Rock Falls against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Illinois only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Illinois-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Rock Falls near the bottom of Illinois's cities
Among the 1,336 Illinois cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Rock Falls ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Rock Falls only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,122 of 1,311
14th percentile in Illinois
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,336
0th percentile in Illinois
Median Home Value
#1,038 of 1,315
21st percentile in Illinois
Poverty Rate
#110 of 1,335
92nd percentile in Illinois
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#824 of 1,336
38th percentile in Illinois
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Illinois only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
18th percentile nationally for median household income · 10th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Rock Falls's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Rock Falls's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Rock Falls's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$82,400Among the most affordablemore affordable than 96% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. 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 U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Rock Falls's home-value-to-income ratio: 1.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#729 of 15,516
More affordable than 95% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#712 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 1.7×, Rock Falls sits in the affordable band:
national rank #729 of 15,516 and #712 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$48,733Rock Falls, IL median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Rock Falls, IL median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Rock Falls, IL.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)15.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)20.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)59.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
8,683
Median Income
$48,733
Median Home Value
$82,400
Median Age
39.9
Poverty Rate
20.4%
Labor force participation
59.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
15.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3569.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
596.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2972.5
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
7
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Rock Falls's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
8,770 residents
2021
8,722 residents
2022
8,601 residents
2023
8,594 residents
2024
8,575 residents
2025
8,521 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Low Activity
Total Permits (2024)
2
housing units authorized
Single-Family
2
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
2
2
0
$0.3M
2021
3
3
0
$0.9M
2022
8
2
6
$2.8M
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
2
2
0
$0.6M
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
84.4%
Carpool
9.3%
Public Transit
0.6%
Walk
0.5%
Work from Home
5.2%
Based on 3,899 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Illinois statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $240
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Illinois at $240 (electricity about $100 , water and sewer about $50 ).
These are Illinois statewide averages, not a meter reading for Rock Falls. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Illinois's BEA cost-of-living index is 100.0 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Rock Falls is $1,063/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Illinois statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 54.5 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Illinois statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Rock Falls sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Rock Falls compares to similar-size Illinois cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.