Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety92#1,186/15,637
Economy21#12,424/15,631
Housing63#5,614/14,977
Health47#8,283/15,609
Healthcare10#14,026/15,650
Environment62#5,797/15,453
Education5#14,813/15,649
Infrastructure14#13,472/15,650
Community21#12,342/15,651
Leisure & amenities21#12,326/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Belvidere, Illinois ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Boone County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Illinois 6.2 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBoone County value
Property crime rate · low446 /100k
92/100Illinois 1,508 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationBoone County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Illinois 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBoone County value
Dental care shortage · low0.0
84/100Illinois 4.8United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationBoone County value
Injury deaths · low65 /100k
84/100Illinois 80 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBoone County value
Violent crime rate · low110 /100k
83/100Illinois 251 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationBoone County value

Weaknesses

Mental health providers · low49 /100k
6/100Illinois 355 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBoone County value
Effective property tax rate · high2.06%
6/100Illinois 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Math scores · low2.56
7/100Illinois 2.90United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBoone County value
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
7/100Illinois 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBoone County value
Reading scores · low2.67
7/100Illinois 2.97United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBoone County value
Social associations · low5.6 /10k
10/100Illinois 9.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBoone County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedWorsening
2.4 /1k (2021) → 1.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−55%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.0% (2015-2019) → 89.2% (2020-2024)
+8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$51,166 (2015-2019) → $64,528 (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.2× (2015-2019) → 2.5× (2020-2024)
+14%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Child poverty rateWorsening
23.4% (2015-2019) → 25.8% (2020-2024)
+2.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
44.2% (2015-2019) → 46.4% (2020-2024)
+2.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Belvidere, Illinois improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Property tax−0.5 points2.53% → 2.06%
Broadband+8.2 points81.0% → 89.2%
Household income+26%$51,166 → $64,528

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Belvidere, Illinois between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.6 min2015-2019	24.3 min2020-2024	−1.3 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.7%2015-2019	12.8%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Broadband subscriptions	81.0%2015-2019	89.2%2020-2024	+8.2 points	Improved	50%
Child poverty rate	23.4%2015-2019	25.8%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Effective property tax rate	2.53%2015-2019	2.06%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	89%
High school diploma or higher	79.6%2015-2019	79.3%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	61%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3962015-2019	0.4122020-2024	+0.015	Within the margin of error	37%
Median household income	$51,1662015-2019	$64,5282020-2024	+26%	Improved	47%
Poverty rate	16.2%2015-2019	14.6%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Rent as share of income	27.8%2015-2019	27.7%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Rent-burdened households	44.2%2015-2019	46.4%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Unemployment rate	7.1%2015-2019	7.0%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.8%2015-2019	9.4%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	52%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Belvidere, Illinois five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Belvidere, Illinois in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Belvidere, Illinois itself moved −2.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

24,752 residents (±563)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 60–69 men (+2.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

24,752 residents (±563)

Belvidere, Illinois
Illinois share

White58%14,428
Black3.1%†777
Hispanic or Latino35%8,729

Education

16,487 residents (±543)

Belvidere, Illinois
Illinois share

No high school diploma21%3,417
High school or GED32%5,232
Some college25%4,183

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

9,589 households (±364)

Belvidere, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $25k16%1,522
$25k–50k23%2,180
$50k–75k17%1,660
$75k–100k16%1,530
$100k–150k15%1,408
$150k–200k7.1%†685
$200k or more6.3%†604

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−7.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

9,589 households (±364)

Belvidere, Illinois
Illinois share

Own71%6,799
Rent29%2,790

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

2,790 households (±384)

Belvidere, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $75026%†723
$750–1,00025%†705
$1,000–1,50035%†970

Home values

6,799 homes (±495)

Belvidere, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $150k46%3,127
$150k–250k39%2,647
$250k–400k13%865

Age of homes

9,994 homes (±353)

Belvidere, Illinois
Illinois share

2010 or later4.2%†422
2000–200919%1,917
1980–199922%2,221

Size of homes

9,994 homes (±353)

Belvidere, Illinois
Illinois share

Studio1.1%†108
1 bedroom9.5%953
2 bedrooms30%3,008

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

12,119 workers (±733)

Belvidere, Illinois
Illinois share

Drive alone79%9,585
Carpool11%†1,323
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.5%†187
Bike0.0%0
Work from home7.7%†930
Other0.8%†94

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+4.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

11,189 workers (±792)

Belvidere, Illinois
Illinois share

Under 15 min30%3,411
15–29 min34%3,769
30–44 min22%2,475

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Rockford, IL

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Boone County, the county holding most of Belvidere's residents.

Boone County has 890 employer establishments, 167 for every 10,000 residents (0.67× the US rate of 248; 0.65× Illinois's), with 15,427 paid employees at an average annual pay of $66,728. The Census Bureau also counts 3,568 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 890; 3,568 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 167; US 248 · Illinois 255
Paid employees: 15,427
Average annual pay: $66,728; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Boone County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	87	16.3	1.05×About typical	636	$67,862	267
Truck transportation	67	12.6	2.48×More than typical	129	$71,566	110
Services to buildings and dwellings	62	11.6	1.72×More than typical	224	$43,103	246
Restaurants and other eating places	61	11.4	0.62×Fewer than typical	775	$20,337	23
Ambulatory health care services	54	10.1	0.49×Fewer than typical	339	$61,342	146
Landscaping services	48	9	2.57×More than typical	69	$88,725	106
Limited-service restaurants	33	6.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	548	$20,776	9
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	32	6	1.90×More than typical	495	$71,016	71
Construction of buildings	29	5.4	0.72×Fewer than typical	124	$84,266	120
Lessors of real estate	29	5.4	0.44×Fewer than typical	58	$44,862	302
Building finishing contractors	27	5.1	1.33×More than typical	50	$46,420	81
Automotive repair and maintenance	23	4.3	0.86×About typical	166	$39,235	55

Rank places for an industry Open Boone County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 53,352 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $14.7K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Belvidere, Illinois: $0.60 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $14.7K; −82% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.60; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 100%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Environmental Protection Agency$14.7K100%

Top recipients

JACOBS ENGINEERING GROUP INC.$14.7K100%

Spending by fiscal year

-13.1FY2017
46.5KFY2018
35.6KFY2019
66.8KFY2020
67.3KFY2021
761.7FY2022
761.7FY2023
81.9KFY2025

Top industries (NAICS)

Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$14.7K100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Belvidere, Illinois, so they do not add up across cities.

Belvidere, Illinois's figures are part of those of Boone County, IL ($26.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Belvidere is mostly in Boone County.

See federal money in Boone County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Belvidere, Illinois is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Boone County55100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Rockford, IL39

Other cities and towns in Boone County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1705092

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends