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Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.
There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.
But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.
Of course, not all suburbs of Rockford are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...
Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Rockford for 2022:
What's the best suburb of Rockford? Rockton ranks as the best suburb of Rockford for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Rockton, you're probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 Rockford 'burbs better than the rest--but first, a bit about our methodology.
Note: This result may differ from our state wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a larger selection of suburbs.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Illinois:
The 10 Best Rockford Suburbs To Live For 2022
Rockton is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Rockford area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Rockton."
Everyone here is rich; families average $94,109 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Rockford region. And only 3.44% are out of work. Homes average more than $176,500 each.
/10
Population: 7,710
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $94,109
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.6%
More on Rockton: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Roscoe is the second best 'burb we looked at near Rockford for 2022.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 2.68% of residents lack insurance, good for 6th best.
/10
Population: 10,632
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Income: $98,750
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 4.1%
More on Roscoe: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Here in Sycamore, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Rockford metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Sycamore.
/10
Population: 17,990
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Income: $65,924
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 9.6%
More on Sycamore: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Poplar Grove ranks as the 4th best suburb of Rockford for 2022.
You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Poplar Grove and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 4,497
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 4)
Median Income: $74,896
Unemployment Rate: 6.9%
Poverty Rate: 5.5%
More on Poplar Grove: Real Estate | Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Cortland.
Cortland gets kudos for having the 7th most expensive homes in the Rockford area, where houses sell for an average of $162,700. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
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Population: 4,261
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 2)
Median Income: $74,821
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%
Poverty Rate: 4.5%
More on Cortland: Real Estate | Data
Genoa is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here's why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 4.11% which is 6th best in the area.
According to online reports, Genoa is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Rockford area, meaning you need to get in soon.
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Population: 5,092
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Income: $72,795
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
Poverty Rate: 8.8%
More on Genoa: Real Estate | Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Byron.
Byron schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it's only 13.6 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
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Population: 3,607
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Median Income: $66,607
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 10.1%
More on Byron: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Winnebago is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 3.76% of people lack insurance, good for 10th in the area.
/10
Population: 3,539
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 3)
Median Income: $83,611
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 8.1%
More on Winnebago: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Is 'Everything Better In Cherry Valley?'
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it's really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 2,783
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 1)
Median Income: $68,397
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Poverty Rate: 6.6%
More on Cherry Valley: Real Estate | Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2022 is Janesville.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It's far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
/10
Population: 64,415
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $55,914
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 11.3%
More on Janesville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Rockford for 2022
Figuring out the best suburbs around Rockford was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Low unemployment rate
- High Median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2016-2020 to research each suburb.
FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Rockford.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 24 suburbs to evaluate around Rockford.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 24 in each category, where 1 was the "best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Rockford." We're lookin' at you, Rockton. You can download the data here.
Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Rockford 'Burbs of 2022
We said it once and we'll say it again--life in the big city isn't for everyone. At least not all the time.
So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Rockford, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.
For more Illinois reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best Rockford Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rockton, IL | 7,710 |
| 2 | Roscoe, IL | 10,632 |
| 3 | Sycamore, IL | 17,990 |
| 4 | Poplar Grove, IL | 4,497 |
| 5 | Cortland, IL | 4,261 |
| 6 | Genoa, IL | 5,092 |
| 7 | Byron, IL | 3,607 |
| 8 | Winnebago, IL | 3,539 |
| 9 | Cherry Valley, IL | 2,783 |
| 10 | Janesville, IL | 64,415 |
| 11 | Machesney Park, IL | 22,709 |
| 12 | Marengo, IL | 7,871 |
| 13 | Davis Junction, IL | 2,574 |
| 14 | Oregon, IL | 3,747 |
| 15 | Loves Park, IL | 23,274 |
| 16 | Dekalb, IL | 42,961 |
| 17 | Brodhead, IL | 3,211 |
| 18 | South Beloit, IL | 7,730 |
| 19 | Belvidere, IL | 24,932 |
| 20 | Mount Morris, IL | 3,182 |
| 21 | Freeport, IL | 23,930 |
| 22 | Rochelle, IL | 9,083 |
| 23 | Beloit, IL | 36,804 |
| 24 | Harvard, IL | 9,203 |
