A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Rockton$2,180/mo

Typical home $301K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.42% · or rent about $914/mo · Housing →

Waterloo$2,200/mo

Typical home $331K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.68% · or rent about $886/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Waterloo places higher on 11 of 19 IL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Illinois ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

B+RocktonSafer than 69% of U.S. towns –WaterlooNot graded

Schools

–RocktonNot graded A−WaterlooBetter than 81% of districts in the state

Health

B+RocktonHealthier than 73% of U.S. towns A−WaterlooHealthier than 82% of U.S. towns

7Rockton

11Waterloo

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most trailsOutdoors · 665 towns #107#484 Most conserved landOutdoors · 838 towns #106#355 Fastest growingGrowth · 859 towns #254#50 Lowest obesityHealth · 861 towns #481#281 Fewest smokersHealth · 861 towns #359#170 Lowest depressionHealth · 861 towns #565#388 Lowest property taxCost of living · 860 towns #540#393 Most remote workersWork · 849 towns #444#300

Left end = #1 in Illinois. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Rockton’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

RocktonWaterloo

Snow a year38″9″

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)65th 60th

Outdoors & history

RocktonWaterloo

Trails7 mi 2 mi

Conserved land11.9%4.4%

Settled—1818

National Register places3 3

Archive photos15 16

Famous people born here3 —

Community

RocktonWaterloo

Library hours a week50 hrs 61 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

289 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

RocktonIL WaterlooIL

Rockton ↔ Waterloo289 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Illinois average

RocktonWaterloo

People

Population 7,974Lowest 11,129Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.3%Lowest +12.3%Highest

Median age 39.4±1.8Lowest about the IL average 41.5±2.6Highest 6% above IL

Waterloo and Rockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 26.1%±4.2Highest IL: 21.8% 21.9%±2.8Lowest IL: 21.8%

Rockton and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 12.8%±2.7Lowest IL: 17% 20.6%±3.2Highest IL: 17%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 38.4%Highest IL: 37.8% 37.3%Lowest IL: 37.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.1%±1.8Lowest IL: 6.3% 4.2%±1.5Highest IL: 6.3%

Waterloo and Rockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $119,058±$18kHighest 43% above IL $98,711±$13kLowest 18% above IL

Rockton and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $235,400±$10kLowest 11% below IL $249,500±$18kHighest 5% below IL

Waterloo and Rockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $914±$194Highest 28% below IL $886±$118Lowest 30% below IL

Rockton and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $5,688Highest 7% above IL $4,198Lowest 21% below IL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 34.5%±16.6Lowest IL: 47.9% 48%±15.5Highest IL: 47.9%

Waterloo and Rockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 5.5%Lowest IL: 11.8% 5.9%Highest IL: 11.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 81%Highest IL: 67.1% 78.2%Lowest IL: 67.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1996Highest 25 yrs newer than IL 1991Lowest 20 yrs newer than IL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 25 minLowest 10% below IL 27 minHighest 4% below IL

Work from home 10.3%±3.9Lowest IL: 15.9% 12.9%±4.3Highest IL: 15.9%

Waterloo and Rockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 6%Lowest 15.9%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miLowest 20.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.64Highest 0.63Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Rockford (23%)St. Louis (11%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WaterlooFew work in Rockton

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 11.9%Highest 4.4%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 7.2 miHighest 1.6 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Lowest 7Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 42.7Lowest 53.0Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#56 of 384 in IL

School district —Waterloo CUSD 5

High school in town —Waterloo High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 17.1

Illinois average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Rockton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rockton’s Town Square.

Waterloo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Waterloo’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Rockton and Waterloo

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Rockton

+ Compare

Roscoe10,706 people · $228K homes

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South Beloit7,946 people · $173K homes

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Rockton Township16,076 people · $196K homes

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Roscoe Township20,134 people · $244K homes

Towns like Rockton

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Byron Township6,410 people · $235K homes

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St. Joseph Township5,536 people · $261K homes

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Mount Zion5,660 people · $201K homes

+ Compare

Sugar Creek Township6,689 people · $236K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Illinois towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Rockton vs Waterloo

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs about the same each month

Waterloo places higher on 11 of 19 IL lists

What daily life feels like in each

289 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Rockton and Waterloo

Bordering Rockton

Towns like Rockton

Post to Rockton

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