Wisconsin to Illinois

Distance from Madison to Rockford

Straight-line distance

60.2mi

Madison, WI and Rockford, IL are 60.2 miles (96.9 km) apart in a straight line. From Madison, the shortest path starts out heading SSE (162°).

kilometers
96.9
nautical miles
52.3
heading from Madison
162° SSE
heading from Rockford
342° NNW
MadisonRockford

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

How far Madison is from Rockford

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Madison and Rockford is 60.2 miles, 96.9 km or 52.3 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 60.2 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
60.2
Kilometers
96.9
Nautical miles
52.3
Bearing from Madison
161.9° SSE
Bearing arriving at Rockford
162.1°
Bearing from Rockford
342.1° NNW

Halfway between Madison and Rockford

The great-circle midpoint is at 42.673696, -89.245479 (42°40'25.31"N 89°14'43.72"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Orfordville, WI, with 1,598 residents, 3.1 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, Madison gets 15 h 22 min of daylight and Rockford 15 h 16 min; on December 21, 9 h 00 min and 9 h 05 min. Madison is 0.83° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Madison has 1.9 times the population of Rockford. From July 2020 to July 2024, Madison changed by +3.8% and Rockford by -0.8%. The trip crosses from Wisconsin into Illinois.

  1. 01Madison, WI285,300 (+3.8%)
  2. 02Rockford, IL147,486 (-0.8%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Madison from Rockford?

60.2 miles, 96.9 km or 52.3 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Rockford from Madison?

SSE. The great-circle path leaves Madison on a bearing of 161.9° and arrives at Rockford on 162.1°. The return trip starts on 342.1°.

What is halfway between Madison and Rockford?

The midpoint is at 42.673696, -89.245479. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Orfordville, WI, 3.1 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Madison and Rockford?

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

Which is bigger, Madison or Rockford?

Madison, with 285,300 residents in July 2024 against 147,486 for Rockford, 1.9 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.