Rock Island County, Illinois

IL · FIPS 17161 Democrat

Located in Illinois, Rock Island County has a population of 142,757 residents and a median age of 40.3 years, making it the #474 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 15.5%. The median home value is $150,400, and the median household income is $67,159, which is 11% below the national median.

142,757
Population
#474 of 3,222
$67,159
Median Income
-10.6% #1,419 of 3,222
40.3 years
Median Age
+3.6% #2,021 of 3,222
15.5%
Poverty Rate
+23.0% #2,042 of 3,222

Demographics

Rock Island County has a population of 142,757, making it the #474 most populous county in the US. The median age is 40.3 years, which is 3.6% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

91.3%
Native Born
8.7%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Rock Island County is $67,159, ranking #1,419 out of 3,222 counties — 10.6% below the national median. The poverty rate is 15.5% and unemployment stands at 5.6%.

Income#1,419
$67,159
-10.6%
vs nation
56th percentile
Per Capita#1,277
$36,842
-10.7%
vs nation
60th percentile
Poverty#2,042
15.5%
+23.0%
vs nation
37th percentile
Unemployment#2,343
5.6%
+5.2%
vs nation
27th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Rock Island County is $150,400 (-46.6% vs national). Renters pay a median of $889/mo and the homeownership rate is 69.7%.

Home Value#2,250
$150,400
-46.6%
vs nation
30th percentile
Rent#1,496
$889
-23.6%
vs nation
53th percentile
Homeownership#2,330
69.7%
+8.2%
vs nation
28th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Rock Island County, 24.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 26.6% below the national average, ranking #1,265 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
24.7% −26.6% vs nation
Rank #1,265 of 3,222
61th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Rock Island County is 76.4 years. 16.5% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.4% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,121
76.4
+1.7%
vs nation
63th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#924
16.5%
-15.7%
vs nation
71th percentile
Diabetes#1,460
10.6%
-4.8%
vs nation
54th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,363
36.8%
-1.4%
vs nation
57th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#647
5.2
-8.7%
vs nation
79th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,690
4.5
+0.7%
vs nation
46th percentile
Uninsured Rate#978
7.4%
-29.2%
vs nation
69th percentile
Physical Inactivity#726
22.5%
-14.7%
vs nation
77th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,217
13.2%
-8.4%
vs nation
61th percentile

Substance Use

14.1% of adults in Rock Island County smoke , 37.4% are obese , and 20.7% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 15.1 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#458
14.1%
-21.5%
vs nation
86th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,252
37.4%
-1.3%
vs nation
60th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,877
20.7%
+4.3%
vs nation
40th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#246
15.1
-53.5%
vs nation
88th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Rock Island County is 12.4 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 16.0 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 9.0 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,282
12.4
+55.0%
vs nation
17th percentile
Suicide Rate#924
16.0
-18.8%
vs nation
64th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#510
11.3
-37.0%
vs nation
79th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#268
9.0
-55.6%
vs nation
91th percentile

Families & Children

21.0% of children in Rock Island County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 6.3 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 21.9 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#652
6.3
-7.6%
vs nation
52th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#1,662
21.9
+0.4%
vs nation
45th percentile
Child Poverty#2,047
21.0%
+10.6%
vs nation
35th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Rock Island County is 63.4%. The mean commute time is 21.7 min, which is 21.4% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
63.4% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
21.7 min −21.4% vs nation
Rank #2,586 of 3,222
20th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Rock Island County voted Democratic with a margin of 9.5%. The vote was 53.9% Dem / 44.4% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 2.6 toward Republicans .

2024 DEM +9.5%
53.9% 44.4%
Dem 63,267 votes Rep
2020 DEM +12.1%
54.9% 42.8%
Dem 66,817 votes Rep
2016 DEM +8.4%
51.2% 42.8%
Dem 62,971 votes Rep
2012 DEM +21.8%
60.2% 38.4%
Dem 64,880 votes Rep
2008 DEM +24.6%
61.7% 37.1%
Dem 68,401 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Rock Island County, Illinois

Rock Island County, Illinois has a total population of 142,757, making it the 474th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Rock Island County is 40.3 years, which is 3.6% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Rock Island County is $67,159, which ranks #1,419 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 10.6% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 15.5%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.6%.

The median home value in Rock Island County is $150,400, 46.6% below the national median. Renters in Rock Island County pay a median gross rent of $889 per month. The homeownership rate is 69.7%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Rock Island County, 24.7% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 26.6% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 93.9% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 21.7 min.

Rock Island County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 67.4% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (14.2%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (10.9%).

All data for Rock Island County, Illinois comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.