Illinois

Distance from Elgin to Rockford

Straight-line distance

40.7mi

Elgin, IL and Rockford, IL are 40.7 miles (65.6 km) apart in a straight line. From Elgin, the shortest path starts out heading WNW (292°).

kilometers
65.6
nautical miles
35.4
heading from Elgin
292° WNW
heading from Rockford
112° ESE
ElginRockford

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Elgin is from Rockford

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Elgin and Rockford is 40.7 miles, 65.6 km or 35.4 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 40.7 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
40.7
Kilometers
65.6
Nautical miles
35.4
Bearing from Elgin
292.2° WNW
Bearing arriving at Rockford
291.7°
Bearing from Rockford
111.7° ESE

Halfway between Elgin and Rockford

The great-circle midpoint is at 42.149741, -88.693958 (42°08'59.07"N 88°41'38.25"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Genoa, IL, with 5,514 residents, 4.0 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/Chicago, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Elgin gets 15 h 15 min of daylight and Rockford 15 h 16 min; on December 21, 9 h 07 min and 9 h 05 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Rockford has 1.3 times the population of Elgin. From July 2020 to July 2024, Elgin changed by +0.0% and Rockford by -0.8%. Both are in Illinois.

  1. 01Elgin, IL114,701 (+0.0%)
  2. 02Rockford, IL147,486 (-0.8%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Elgin from Rockford?

40.7 miles, 65.6 km or 35.4 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Rockford from Elgin?

WNW. The great-circle path leaves Elgin on a bearing of 292.2° and arrives at Rockford on 291.7°. The return trip starts on 111.7°.

What is halfway between Elgin and Rockford?

The midpoint is at 42.149741, -88.693958. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Genoa, IL, 4.0 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Elgin and Rockford?

Both use America/Chicago, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Elgin or Rockford?

Rockford, with 147,486 residents in July 2024 against 114,701 for Elgin, 1.3 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.