Aurora vs Rockford
The short version
- Rockford is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 11% lower than in the Aurora area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $129,000 in Rockford and $274,800 in Aurora.
- Households earn more in Aurora ($93,633 vs $54,752 median).
- Rockford gets far more snow: 37 inches a year vs 28.
- Commutes are shorter in Rockford (22 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Aurora, IL | Rockford, IL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 181,505 | 147,384 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.5% | -1.1% |
| People per square mile | 4,028 | 2,257 |
| Median age | 35.2 | 37.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 24% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $93,633 | $54,752 |
| Median home value | $274,800 | $129,000 |
| Home value to income | 2.9× | 2.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,596 | $985 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.6 | 92.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 112.0 | 70.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,700 | $69,100 |
| Homeowners | 66% | 55% |
| Top state income tax | 4.95% | 4.95% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.98% | 8.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 27.2 | 21.9 |
| Work from home | 16% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.8% | 8.5% |
| Poverty rate | 9.5% | 21.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 31° / 16° | 29° / 15° |
| July high / low | 84° / 65° | 84° / 64° |
| Precipitation per year | 40 in | 37 in |
| Snowfall per year | 28 in | 37 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 134 | 136 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.6 | 92.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 30% | 69% |
| Home prices, past year | +6% | +8.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +53% | +63.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Aurora: July to October. Rockford: May and July to September.
Full monthly tables: Aurora weather by month and Rockford weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,700 in Aurora and $69,100 in Rockford. Moving from Aurora to Rockford, you would need about $66,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Aurora and Rockford
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Aurora and Rockford.
Which would you pick?
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