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Only California, which saw nearly $15 million in sales in its first week, had a bigger roll-out than Illinois.

To determine where the fastest local economic growth has occurred in the U.S., WalletHub compared 515 cities of varying population sizes based on 17 key measures.

Released on the city's Facebook page, the numbers reflect January-August in both 2018 and 2019.

In 2018, travel provided $392 million in economic impact to Rockford and Winnebago County communities and supported the livelihood of 3,039 area residents.

Home prices also hit a 12-year high last month, with an average price of over $143K

There are now over 8,000 Illinois residents who share their homes as Airbnb hosts, with Winnebago hosts typically earning about $5,000 annually in supplemental income.

Stroll on State attracted an estimated 87,500 visitors to downtown Rockford, up 6 percent over 2017.

Rockford's kick-off to the holiday season features a tree lighting, parade, fireworks, horse & wagon rides, visits with Santa, along with some new fun additions.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) reports 75,000 jobs were added in April, well above the prior three month average.

Nearly 114 million people traveled to the state last year to “Enjoy Illinois” and give a $1.1 billion boost to the state’s economy.