Study: Rockford Ranks 5th Worst In Terms of Midsize City Growth

Recent figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau show Rockford’s population is declining at a rate surpassed by only a handful of cities across the country. Now a new study by the personal finance website WalletHub seems to confirm that trend.

WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2015’s Cities with the Fastest Growing Economies. The site compared 515 U.S. cities across 10 key metrics, ranging from population growth rate to unemployment rate decrease. The results show Rockford checking in as the 5th worst in terms of midsize city growth.

Here's where WalletHub ranked the Forest City among 240 midsize cities in various categories:

Growth of Rockford (1=Best; 120=Avg.)

• 234^th – Population Growth
• 173^rd – Median Household Income Growth
• 211^th – Job Growth
• 163^rd – Unemployment Rate Decrease
• 227^th – Growth in the Number of Businesses
• 158^th – Full-Time Jobs Increase
• 238^th – Working-Age Population Growth
• 212^th – Growth of Median House Prices

Meanwhile, Decatur ranked fourth from the bottom in small city growth and second from the bottom in overall job growth. The top of the lists in most categories is dominated by locations in Texas.