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%

Waterloo$2,200/mo

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

Rockton$2,180/mo

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

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

Schools

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

Health

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

11Waterloo

7Rockton

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

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

Left end = #1 in Illinois. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Waterloo’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

WaterlooRockton

Snow a year9″38″

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

Outdoors & history

WaterlooRockton

Trails2 mi 7 mi

Conserved land4.4%11.9%

Settled1818 —

National Register places3 3

Archive photos10 15

Famous people born here—3

Community

WaterlooRockton

Library hours a week61 hrs 50 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.

WaterlooIL RocktonIL

Waterloo ↔ Rockton289 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

WaterlooRockton

People

Population 11,129Highest 7,974Lowest

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

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

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

Kids under 18 21.9%±2.8Lowest IL: 21.8% 26.1%±4.2Highest 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+ 20.6%±3.2Highest IL: 17% 12.8%±2.7Lowest IL: 17%

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

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.2%±1.5Highest IL: 6.3% 4.1%±1.8Lowest 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 $98,711±$13kLowest 18% above IL $119,058±$18kHighest 43% 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 $249,500±$18kHighest 5% below IL $235,400±$10kLowest 11% 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 $886±$118Lowest 30% below IL $914±$194Highest 28% 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 $4,198Lowest 21% below IL $5,688Highest 7% above IL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 48%±15.5Highest IL: 47.9% 34.5%±16.6Lowest 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 5.9%Highest IL: 11.8% 5.5%Lowest IL: 11.8%

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 12.9%±4.3Highest IL: 15.9% 10.3%±3.9Lowest 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 15.9%Highest 6%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.8 miHighest 13.8 miLowest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RocktonFew work in Waterloo

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 4.4%Lowest 11.9%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.6 miLowest 7.2 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 1.0 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 5Lowest

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

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.

Waterloo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Waterloo’s Town Square.

Rockton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rockton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Waterloo and Rockton

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

Towns like Waterloo

+ Compare

Fort Russell Township9,167 people · $252K homes

+ Compare

Highland10,262 people · $203K homes

+ Compare

Glenwood8,603 people · $198K homes

+ Compare

Helvetia Township8,328 people · $213K 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.

Waterloo vs Rockton

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 Waterloo and Rockton

Towns like Waterloo

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