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Rock Island County, IL

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
89
11% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$144,700
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+30.0%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$863
national $1,348
Homeownership
69%
national 65%
Unemployment
5.2%
national 3.6%
Household income
$66,768
national $78,538
Median age
40.3 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL.

The cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. The median home is valued at $144,700 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 30% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $863 a month. Unemployment averaged 5.2% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $66,768. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Rock Island County, IL saw a net loss of 280 tax-filing households and a net loss of 486 individuals. Against a population of about 141,236, that is a net outflow of about 3.4 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $68.4M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 870 households, came from Scott County; the largest outflow, about 958 households, went to Scott County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 945 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$68.4M
nominal dollars
Net households
-280
tax returns
Net people
-486
exemptions

-3.4 net people per 1,000 residents (population 141,236)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$153.4M
Moved out$221.8M
Net -$68.4M (nominal)
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Rock Island County within Illinois

Rock Island County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Illinois counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Scott County, IA870$46.6M
  2. 2Henry County, IL317$14.8M
  3. 3Cook County, IL115$4.9M
  4. 4Mercer County, IL108$6.8M
  5. 5Whiteside County, IL55$2.6M
  6. 6Muscatine County, IA52$2.9M
  7. 7Johnson County, IA36$1.9M
  8. 8Knox County, IL34$1.6M
  9. 9Polk County, IA30$1.5M
  10. 10Clinton County, IA28$1M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Scott County, IA958$58.9M
  2. 2Henry County, IL278$17.3M
  3. 3Mercer County, IL125$6.9M
  4. 4Cook County, IL120$6M
  5. 5Johnson County, IA58$3M
  6. 6Muscatine County, IA48$2.2M
  7. 7Clinton County, IA46$3M
  8. 8Whiteside County, IL45$2.4M
  9. 9Polk County, IA42$1.9M
  10. 10Linn County, IA36$2.3M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Scott County, IA870958-88-$12.4M
Henry County, IL317278+39-$2.6M
Cook County, IL115120-5-$1.1M
Mercer County, IL108125-17-$41K
Whiteside County, IL5545+10+$193K
Muscatine County, IA5248+4+$714K
Johnson County, IA3658-22-$1.1M
Clinton County, IA2846-18-$1.9M
Polk County, IA3042-12-$413K
Knox County, IL3432+2-$123K
Linn County, IA2536-11-$1.2M
Maricopa County, AZ2430-6-$59K

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$687.7M (-11,904 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$39.5M-343
2013-$71.3M-1,175
2014-$33.4M-1,083
2015-$43.2M-295
2016-$46.4M-1,684
2017-$104.2M-2,152
2018-$48.9M-547
2019-$53.2M-1,179
2020-$65.6M-1,158
2021-$56.1M-857
2022-$57.6M-945
2023-$68.4M-486
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 486 more people left Rock Island County, IL than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $68.4M in income (nominal) — in a county of 140,905 people.

Population
140,905
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-3.4
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -34 people.
Net income per resident
−$485
nominal dollars
-$68.4M total across 140,905 residents.

The rate lets you compare Rock Island County, IL with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+1,537
Deaths
-1,743
Net domestic migration
-674
Net international migration
+839
Total change
-67

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Rock Island County, IL run about 11% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $112 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$52,200
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
25% below the U.S. average
Price level
89.2
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 10.8% lower than average
What that income buys
$58,544
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
16% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents66.0
Goods96.3
Utilities92.5
Other services92.9

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Rock Island County, IL

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
40.3
years
Median household income
$66,768
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
15% below the U.S. median
College degree
24%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
15.4%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
20 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
89%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 68%Hispanic 14%Black 10%Asian 3%Other 5%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$144,700
owner-occupied homes
52% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$863
gross rent per month
36% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
69%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+7.2%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+30%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
88new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 48%Multifamily 52%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
5.2%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
67,760
64,265 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
4.5%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.1 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Rock Island County, IL has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
202434,12628,0611,271D +9.663,458
202036,69128,6031,464D +12.166,758
201632,29826,9984,698D +8.363,994
201239,15724,934925D +21.965,016
200842,21025,364827D +24.668,401
200439,88029,663429D +14.669,972
200037,95725,1941,944D +19.665,095

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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