Las Vegas vs Rockford
The short version
- Rockford is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 8% lower than in the Las Vegas area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $129,000 in Rockford and $427,900 in Las Vegas.
- Households earn more in Las Vegas ($73,877 vs $54,752 median).
- Las Vegas has the warmer winter: January highs of 59°F vs 29°F.
- Rockford gets far more snow: 37 inches a year vs 0.
- Las Vegas has more scorching days: 137 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 15.
- Las Vegas is growing faster: +5.3% since 2020 vs -1.1%.
- Commutes are shorter in Rockford (22 vs 26 minutes each way).
- Nevada has no state income tax on wages; Illinois's top rate is 4.95%.
Side by side
| Las Vegas, NV | Rockford, IL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 679,817 | 147,384 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.3% | -1.1% |
| People per square mile | 4,792 | 2,257 |
| Median age | 38.6 | 37.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28% | 24% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $73,877 | $54,752 |
| Median home value | $427,900 | $129,000 |
| Home value to income | 5.8× | 2.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,563 | $985 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.2 | 92.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 115.5 | 70.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,200 | $69,100 |
| Homeowners | 57% | 55% |
| Top state income tax | None | 4.95% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.24% | 8.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.7 | 21.9 |
| Work from home | 12% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.4% | 8.5% |
| Poverty rate | 14% | 21.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 41° | 29° / 15° |
| July high / low | 105° / 82° | 84° / 64° |
| Precipitation per year | 4 in | 37 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 37 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 137 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 10 | 136 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.6 | 92.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 31% | 69% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.8% | +8.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +41.9% | +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: Las Vegas: February to April and October to November. Rockford: May and July to September.
Full monthly tables: Las Vegas 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 $75,200 in Las Vegas and $69,100 in Rockford. Moving from Las Vegas to Rockford, you would need about $69,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Las Vegas 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 Las Vegas and Rockford.
Which would you pick?
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