Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety77#211/924
Economy40#560/925
Housing66#311/925
Health54#423/925
Healthcare60#367/923
Environment43#523/917
Education50#462/925
Infrastructure44#514/925
Community43#526/925
Leisure & amenities80#183/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Freeport, IL micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Home price to income ratio · low2.1×
96/100Illinois 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Grocery stores · high2.5 /10k
92/100Illinois 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · low8.8 /100k
89/100Illinois 14.2 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.420
88/100Illinois 0.481United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Pharmacies · high2.3 /10k
88/100Illinois 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Restaurants and bars · high11.3 /10k
81/100Illinois 10.3 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high2.09%
1/100Illinois 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Job growth · low-4.4%
3/100Illinois 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
New homes permitted · low0.3 /1k
6/100Illinois 1.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Injury deaths · high119 /100k
17/100Illinois 80 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Adult obesity · high41.0%
17/100Illinois 39.0%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · low1.9 /10k
18/100Illinois 4.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
52.8% (2010 & 2021) → 70.5% (2022 & 2024)
+18 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Homicide rateImproving
7.5 /100k (2021) → 2.6 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−65%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Firearm deathsImproving
22.7 /100k (2021) → 11.5 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
Child care cost burdenWorsening
21.6% (2020 & 2021) → 30.5% (2023 & 2024)
+8.9 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.6% (2015-2019) → 86.5% (2020-2024)
+7.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Traffic deathsWorsening
10.2 /100k (2015-2019) → 14.1 /100k (2020-2024)
+38%5 yearsUS 11.3 /100k → 12.3 /100k

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, Freeport, IL micropolitan area improved on 14 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 12 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Pharmacies+15%2.0 /10k → 2.3 /10k
Grocery stores+13%2.2 /10k → 2.5 /10k
Real income+37%$48,170 → $65,900
Arts & recreation+24%3.4 /10k → 4.2 /10k
Homicides−55%5.8 /100k → 2.6 /100k

Declined2

Traffic deaths+38%10.2 /100k → 14.1 /100k
Gyms−18%1.1 /10k → 0.9 /10k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Freeport, IL micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.4 /10k2020	4.2 /10k2025	+24%	Improved	79%
Average commute time	22.1 min2015-2019	20.7 min2020-2024	−1.5 min	Within the margin of error	92%
Average weekly wage	$8932020	$1,0972025	+23%	Improved	46%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.6%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Broadband subscriptions	78.6%2015-2019	86.5%2020-2024	+7.8 points	Improved	36%
Child poverty rate	19.9%2015-2019	19.9%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Distance to an airport	59 mi2020	59 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	24%
Drug overdose deaths	18.8 /100k2020	8.8 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−53%	Improved	85%
Effective property tax rate	2.30%2015-2019	2.09%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Firearm deaths	13.7 /100k2020	11.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−16%	Improved	77%
Grocery stores	2.2 /10k2020	2.5 /10k2025	+13%	Improved	82%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.1 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−18%	Declined	20%
High school diploma or higher	92.5%2015-2019	92.6%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.1×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	89%
Homicide rate	5.8 /100k2020	2.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−55%	Improved	82%
Income adjusted for local prices	$48,1702019	$65,9002024	+37%	Improved	80%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4362015-2019	0.4202020-2024	−0.016	Within the margin of error	86%
Median household income	$48,8052015-2019	$64,0432020-2024	+31%	Improved	71%
New business applications	7.1 /1k2020	9.3 /1k2025	+32%	Improved	29%
Pharmacies	2.0 /10k2020	2.3 /10k2025	+15%	Improved	92%
Poverty rate	13.6%2015-2019	13.9%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Property crime rate	1,263 /100k2020	825 /100k2025	−35%	Improved	53%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.7 /10k2024	+2.2%	Little change	77%
Public transit commuters	0.9%2015-2019	0.6%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent as share of income	27.8%2015-2019	27.1%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Rent-burdened households	45.5%2015-2019	43.3%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Restaurants and bars	11.0 /10k2020	11.3 /10k2025	+3.1%	Little change	59%
Suicide rate	15.5 /100k2020	16.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+3.9%	Little change	53%
Traffic deaths	10.2 /100k2015-2019	14.1 /100k2020-2024	+38%	Declined	12%
Unemployment rate	7.2%2020	4.5%2025	−2.7 points	Improved	42%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.0%2015-2019	6.7%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Violent crime rate	238 /100k2020	156 /100k2025	−34%	Improved	81%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Freeport, IL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Freeport, IL micropolitan area 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, Freeport, IL micropolitan area itself moved +3.1 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

43,768 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

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

Household income

19,358 households (±266)

Freeport, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k18%3,407
$25k–50k21%4,065
$50k–75k19%3,633

Homes

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

Owners and renters

19,358 households (±266)

Freeport, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Own71%13,726
Rent29%5,632

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

20,466 workers (±506)

Freeport, IL micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone78%15,953
Carpool7.7%1,581
Public transit0.6%†129

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 no occupation wages for Freeport, IL micropolitan area.

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.

Freeport, IL has 1,003 employer establishments, 230 for every 10,000 residents (0.93× the US rate of 248), with 15,626 paid employees at an average annual pay of $57,586. The Census Bureau also counts 2,740 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,003; 2,740 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 230; US 248
Paid employees: 15,626
Average annual pay: $57,586; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	68	15.6	1.01×About typical	2,318	$102,616	197
Ambulatory health care services	62	14.2	0.68×Fewer than typical	601	$82,205	74
Restaurants and other eating places	57	13.1	0.71×Fewer than typical	917	$16,459	11
Truck transportation	48	11	2.18×More than typical	155	$50,219	95
Religious organizations	45	10.3	1.86×More than typical	318	$22,412	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	36	8.3	1.64×More than typical	206	$43,777	48
Services to buildings and dwellings	35	8	1.19×About typical	147	$30,299	157
Construction of buildings	32	7.4	0.97×About typical	159	$46,893	75
Full-service restaurants	31	7.1	0.93×About typical	341	$17,548	5
Insurance agencies and brokerages	31	7.1	1.62×More than typical	93	$50,699	45
Lessors of real estate	30	6.9	0.56×Fewer than typical	64	$37,203	207
Building equipment contractors	29	6.7	1.11×About typical	1,815	$105,761	26

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 43,517 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $782.6K on contracts performed in Freeport, IL micropolitan area: $18.11 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $782.6K; +4.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $18.11; US $1,994
Sole-source: 15%; US 30%
Single offer: 5.6%; 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

Defense Logistics Agency$725.9K93%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$48.6K6.2%
Department of the Army$8,0281.0%

Top recipients

T. R. MACHINE, INC.$545.4K70%
HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.$178.4K23%
HIGHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION$48.6K6.2%
HAMHED LLC$8,0281.0%
AEROFORCE LOGISTICS LLC$2,1820.3%

Spending by fiscal year

2.7MFY2017
2.6MFY2018
1.6MFY2019
1.1MFY2020
774.3KFY2021
1.2MFY2022
988.3KFY2023
1.8M

Top industries (NAICS)

Hardware manufacturing · 3325$164.2K21%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$149.6K19%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$100.4K13%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353$98.5K13%
Machine shops and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing · 3327$84.9K11%
Junior colleges · 6112$48.6K6.2%

Largest awards

8512124778!SWITCH,SENSITIVE$98.5K
HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.· Stephenson County, IL· Other equipment & supplies· May 20, 2026 – May 20, 2026· SPE7M126P6998
8511807004!SWITCH,SENSITIVE$53.2K
HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.· Stephenson County, IL· Other equipment & supplies· Dec 11, 2025 – Dec 11, 2025· SPE4A526F2524
WELDING PROGRAM SERVICES MAY-SEPT 2026 - FCI THOMSON$48.6K
HIGHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION· Stephenson County, IL· Education & social services· May 8, 2026 – May 8, 2026· 15B41926F00000103
8511840142!BEARING, SLEEVE

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $312.8M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Freeport, IL micropolitan area: $7,237 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $312.8M; −5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,237; US $12,955
Loan face value: $6.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 2.4%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$217.6M70%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$24.8M7.9%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$17.1M5.5%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$15.6M5.0%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$8M2.6%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$5.5M1.8%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$5.1M1.6%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$3.7M1.2%

Top recipients (organizations)

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$8.5M2.7%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
HIGHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION$3.7M1.2%
FREEPORT, IL
FREEPORT CITY OF HOUSING AUTHORITY$1.8M0.6%
FREEPORT, IL
NORTHWESTERN ILLINOIS COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY$1.7M0.5%
FREEPORT, IL
FREEPORT SENIOR HOUSING II, INC.

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$267.5M86%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$18.5M5.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$8.5M2.7%
Department of Transportation
Farm Service Agency$6M1.9%
Department of Agriculture
Department of Education$3.8M

Assistance by fiscal year

300.5MFY2021
288.3MFY2022
288.1MFY2023
298.3MFY2024
329.2MFY2025
312.8MFY2026

County aggregates

92%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Freeport, IL

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Stephenson CountyCentral county6343,220

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

FreeportPrincipal city23,505

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Illinois

Areas based in Illinois, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M23300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined2

Metro and micro areas like Freeport, IL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Freeport, IL

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Illinois

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined2

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought