Official Federal Data
Boone County, Illinois
FIPS 17007 · Rockford, IL · Population 53,230
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$84,571 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
5.5% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$2B ▲
GDP
23.6% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$84,571 ▲
Per Capita
$39,818 ▲
Mean Household
$106,291 ▲
Poverty Rate
9.9% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Boone County$84,571
Illinois$83,390
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.8%
18-34 · 20.4%
35-54 · 25.8%
55-64 · 13.3%
65+ · 16.7%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
86.2%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 3.4 pts
23.6%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 12.1 pts
9.4%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 4.7 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
53,230
Population
27,925
Labor Force
Employed
25,871
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
5.5% ▼ 0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute
26.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
9.6%
Key Takeaways
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 12.1 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 1,785 workers (21.5% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $75,968.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $2B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $79,976 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $22,668, a 3.5x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
3,507
Cluster Employment
2.13x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Crop Production
5.08x 195
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
4.45x 461
Specialty Trade Contractors
3.05x 1,154
Truck Transportation
2.93x 315
Construction of Buildings
2.42x 326
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
2.26x 172
2.13x 3,507
Warehousing and Storage
1.91x 264
General Merchandise Retailers
1.87x 439
Machinery Manufacturing
1.80x 142
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.25x
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
193 employed
0.29x
Social Assistance
104 employed
0.31x
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
57 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Crop Production concentrates at 5.08x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$216,900 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,041 ▲
Rent/Mo
81.8% ▲
Owner-Occ
4.1% ▼
Vacancy
2.6x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$810/mo
1 Bedroom
$895/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,175/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,555/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,594/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,114/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.6x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 81.8% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,114/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
31,664 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute
26.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
9.6%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
81.1%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
23.6% ▲
HS Diploma+
86.2% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
57,734/yr
15,945/yr
11,893/yr
9,399/yr
8,607/yr
5,976/yr
5,914/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
22.4%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
33.8%
Service
18.8%
Sales & Office
17.4%
Construction / Maint.
9.7%
Production / Transport
20.3%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 25,871 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 22.4% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 37,237 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Boone County shows strong potential for crop production attraction, with a 5.08x concentration and 195 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 22.4% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across crop production, fabricated metal product manufacturing, and specialty trade contractors creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Boone County, Illinois, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Boone County, Illinois?
53,230 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Boone County, Illinois?
$84,571 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Boone County, Illinois?
5.5% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Boone County, Illinois?
$2B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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