Illinois · Census place 1765000
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a city in 2 counties of Illinois with an estimated 147,486 residents on July 1, 2024. It is the 5th largest of 651 incorporated places of 1,000+ people in the state.
- Population 2024
- 147,486
- #5 of 651 in Illinois
- Change since 2020
- -0.8%
- -1,210 people
- Land area
- 65.3 sq mi
- + 1.01 sq mi water
- Density
- 2,258 / sq mi
- State median 2,177
Measure from here
Tools and pages that start from Rockford
Rockford population, 2020 to 2024
Rockford lost 1,210 residents from July 2020 to July 2024, a change of -0.8%. In the latest year it moved by +687. Among 330 Illinois places of 5,000 or more, that growth ranks 163rd; the median place changed by -0.9%. The median place of 5,000+ in Illinois has 14,760 people, so Rockford is 10.0 times that size.
Rockford covers 65.31 square miles of land and 1.01 of water, for 2,258 people per square mile of land. The median Illinois place of 5,000+ has 2,177, so Rockford is close to the typical town.
The 2 counties Rockford spans
Rockford crosses county lines. The Census county-part estimates split its 147,486 residents as follows; Winnebago County holds 100.0% of them. The shaded shapes are on the map above; dots mark the eight nearest places.
- 01Winnebago County147,484
- 02Ogle County2
ZIP codes in Rockford
8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) overlap Rockford by at least 10% of the ZCTA's or the city's land: 61101, 61102, 61103, 61104, 61107, 61108, 61109, 61114. ZCTAs are Census approximations of USPS ZIP code delivery areas. The list comes from the 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file, so a city that annexed land after 2020 may reach into ZIP codes not listed here.
Where Rockford is
The Census internal point of Rockford is at 42.259300, -89.063500. Springfield, the capital, is 173.9 miles S in a straight line. The nearest larger place is Aurora, IL (180,710 people), 52.4 miles away. The nearest city of 100,000 or more is Elgin, IL, 40.8 miles away. The ground at the internal point is about 222 m (728 ft) above sea level.
Internal point
- Decimal
- 42.259300, -89.063500
- DMS
- 42°15'33.48"N 89°03'48.60"W
- UTM
- 16N 329797.8E 4680628.2N
- Geohash
- dp88mm1fq
- Plus code
- 86JG7W5P+PJ
- Time zone
- America/Chicago
Daylight in Rockford
At 42.26° N, Rockford gets about 15 h 16 min of daylight around the June solstice and 9 h 05 min around the December solstice, a swing of 6 h 11 min. Figures are sunrise to sunset from the SunCalc model for June 21 and December 21, 2026. Month-by-month sunrise and sunset times are on the Rockford daylight page.
Places near Rockford
The eight nearest incorporated places of 1,000+ in Illinois, measured between internal points. The closest is Cherry Valley, 4.8 miles away, with 2,888 people.
Questions people ask
What is the population of Rockford, IL?
147,486 on July 1, 2024, in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates. That is down 1,210 (0.8%) from 148,696 in July 2020.
What county is Rockford in?
It spans 2 counties: Winnebago County (147,484 residents), Ogle County (2 residents).
What ZIP codes cover Rockford?
8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas overlap it by at least 10% of either area: 61101, 61102, 61103, 61104, 61107, 61108, 61109, 61114.
How far is Rockford from Springfield?
173.9 miles (279.9 km) in a straight line, heading S from Rockford.
What is the nearest larger city to Rockford?
Aurora, IL, with 180,710 residents, 52.4 miles away between internal points.
Sources and data as of
Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates (July 1, 2024), 2024 Gazetteer places, 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file.
- 01Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
- 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
- 03Census 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file
- 04Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)
- 05Open-Meteo forecast API (time zone and Copernicus GLO-90 elevation) (last verified 2026-09-30)
How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.