Whiteside County, Illinois
Population 54,947 · Sterling, Rock Falls, Morrison
- Overall cost of living: −12.6% vs the US average, lower than 62% of US counties.
- PM2.5 air pollution: 9.4 µg/m³, higher than 90% of US counties.
- Street intersections: 55 per sq mi, higher than 82% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−12.6% | lower than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Illinois outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $127,100 | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Median rent | $856 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $134/mo | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $9,100/yr | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 2.04% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.25% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.95% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,598 | higher than 78% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $67,500 | higher than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -5.8% | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 321 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈199 days | lower than 69% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 84°F | lower than 69% of US counties |
| January low | 13°F | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 29 in | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 17 days | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 145 days | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 7.1% of weeks | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈62.6°F | lower than 54% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 38.6 in | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $121/yr | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $94/yr | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.01/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $2.9/yr | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $12/yr | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.03/yr | lower than 88% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 9.4 µg/m³ | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 118.8 mi | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈260.2 ft | lower than 77% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 91.9% | higher than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 20.5% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 7.7% | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 2 | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.7:1 | lower than 51% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 92.9% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.18 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.78 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.82 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.9 | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 48/100k | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 4 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.3★ | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 75.9 yrs | higher than 52% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 5.9% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 161/100k | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 42/100k | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 5.4/100k | higher than 82% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 74.2% | higher than 67% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 53 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 83 min | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 20 min | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 86.7% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.3% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 6.1% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 126 min | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 55 per sq mi | higher than 82% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.9 per 1k | lower than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 10.6 per 1k | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Population | 54,947 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Median age | 43 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -1.6 per 1k/yr | lower than 71% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 41.7% Dem | higher than 77% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 56.4% Rep | lower than 78% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % White | 80.9% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 13.3% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.2% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.6% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 87 parks | higher than 60% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 14.4 | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.6 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 39 min | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.8% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 12 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 23 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 115 km | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 14 km | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 10 | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 89 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 25 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 4 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 32 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 57 km | higher than 76% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data