County profile

Rock County

Wisconsin · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
164,350
Median household income
$75,673
People below poverty
9.3%
Median home value
$231,600

Income

The median income of households in Rock County, Wisconsin was $75,673. An estimated 3.9% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6.6% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.9
$10,000 to $14,999 2.7
$15,000 to $24,999 6.2
$25,000 to $34,999 7.5
$35,000 to $49,999 11.2
$50,000 to $74,999 18.1
$75,000 to $99,999 16.8
$100,000 to $149,999 17.9
$150,000 to $199,999 9.1
$200,000 or more 6.6

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 60399
Female 49598

An estimated 75.7% of households received earnings. An estimated 34% of households received Social Security and an estimated 28.8 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,899. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 75.7
Social Security 34
Retirement income 28.8
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4
Cash public assistance income 2.2

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 9.3 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 12.9% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 9.2% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 7.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 9.3
Children under 18 years below poverty 12.9
People 65 years old and over below poverty 9.2
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 7.9

In 2020-2024, 12.9 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 46.6% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 34.1% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 32.3% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 94.5% had health insurance coverage and 5.5% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 74.5% and public coverage was 36%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3.7%.


In 2020-2024, Rock County, Wisconsin had a total population of 164,350 - 82,546 (50.2%) females and 81,804 (49.8%) males. The median age was 40.3 years. An estimated 22.4% of the population was under 18 years, 31.1% was 19 to 44 years, 26.4% was 45 to 64 years, and 17.8 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 4841 4398
5 to 9 5751 4994
10 to 14 4966 4985
15 to 19 5583 5152
20 to 24 5039 4906
25 to 29 5104 4938
30 to 34 5136 5150
35 to 39 5438 5131
40 to 44 4986 5144
45 to 49 4923 4972
50 to 54 5275 5221
55 to 59 5490 5683
60 to 64 5986 5890
65 to 69 4727 5084
70 to 74 3774 4217
75 to 79 2188 2544
80 to 84 1595 1941
85 and over 1002 2196

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 81.6% were White; 4.7% were Black or African American; 6.8% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 1.1% were Asian; 1.9% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 9.3% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 10.1% of the people in Rock County, Wisconsin were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 79.6% of the people in Rock County, Wisconsin were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 67,201 households in Rock County, Wisconsin. The average household size was 2.41 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.2% of the households in Rock County, Wisconsin while cohabiting couple households made up 8.1% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 25.6% of all households, while 19.1% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 14.2% of households were male householders living alone, and 16.2% were female householders living alone, for a total of 30.4% of all households.

In Rock County, Wisconsin, 27.9% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 32% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 47.2
Cohabiting Couples 8.1
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
19.1
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
25.6

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 49.9% of males and 48.5% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 34.9 28.6
Now married, except separated 49.9 48.5
Separated 1 1.7
Widowed 3.1 8.6
Divorced 11.2 12.6

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Rock County, Wisconsin, 2,265 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 39.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 95.4% of the people living in Rock County, Wisconsin were U.S. natives. 70.3% of the Rock County, Wisconsin population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 4.6% of Rock County, Wisconsin residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 41.7% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 82.4 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Rock County, Wisconsin come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Rock County, Wisconsin.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 73.1
Asia 13.1
Europe 8.2
Africa 2.9
Northern America 2
Oceania 0.7

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 8.8 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 7.2% of people at least five years old; 3% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 7.2
Other Indo-European languages 0.8
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.7
Other languages 0.1

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 90.6 % of the people at least one year old living in Rock County, Wisconsin were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 90.6
Different house, same county 5
Different county, same state 2.3
Different state 1.9
Abroad 0.2

Education

In 2020-2024, 92.6 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 25.8% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 7.3% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Rock County, Wisconsin was 37,552 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 2,508 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 26,773. College or graduate school enrollment was 8,271.

Educational Attainment of People in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 7.3
High school diploma or equivalency 33.3
Some college, no degree 21.6
Associate's degree 11.9
Bachelor's degree 17.7
Graduate or professional degree 8.1

Disability

In Rock County, Wisconsin, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 12.8 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.4% of people under 18 years old, to 11.1% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 29.6% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Rock County, Wisconsin, 62.7 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 34.8% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 82.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 12.9% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 4 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 68,734 82.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 10,713 12.9
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 3,350 4

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Rock County, Wisconsin worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.6
Construction 7.2
Manufacturing 19.1
Wholesale trade 3.6
Retail trade 13
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6
Information 1.3
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.9
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 7.7
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 21.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 6.8
Other Services, except public administration 4.4
Public administration 3.7

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 27,874 33.6
Service occupations 12,788 15.4
Sales and office occupations 16,908 20.4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 8,798 10.6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 16,574 20

Commuting to Work

An estimated 80.1% of Rock County, Wisconsin workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 7.2% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 23.8 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 80.1
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 7.2
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.5
Walked 1.7
Other means 1.3
Worked from home 9.2

In 2020-2024, Rock County, Wisconsin had a total of 71,109 housing units. Of these housing units, 78.9% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 18.4% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 2.6% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 78.9
Apartments in multi-unit structures 18.4
Mobile homes 2.6
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

5.5% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 19.2% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Rock County, Wisconsin was 5.9 rooms, and of these housing units 63.4% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Rock County, Wisconsin had 67,201 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 3,908 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 71.2% while renters occupied 28.8%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.5 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.18.

3.8% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 11.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6% and another 23.7% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Rock County, Wisconsin:

House Heating Fuel Used in Rock County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 78.4
Electricity 17.9
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 1.1
All other fuels 2.1
No fuel used 0.5

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Rock County, Wisconsin was $231,600.

Of the owner-occupied households, 62.5 % had a mortgage. 37.5% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,538 and for owners without a mortgage it was $632.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Rock County, Wisconsin was $1,037. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.