POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS AND EDUCATION

2006 Rockford Population:  152,200

Based on the year 2006 Statistics, the city of Rockford has a population of 152,200

73% White

17% African Americans

0.32%  or 474 are Native American

2% Asian

8% Other/mixed

Based on 1998 census, (9 years ago), the following figures are the educational attainment of Rockford's population aged 25 years of older.

Less than 9th grade education      8.9%

9th to 12th, no diploma                 16.3%

High School graduate                   32.4%

Some college, no degree             18.2%

Associate degree                            5.5%

Bachelor's degree                         12.7%

Graduate degree                             6.0%

Based on these figures, 25.2%, or about 1/4 of Rockford's population is considered uneducated or under educated.  CNN Money Magazine for 2006 "Best Places" reports that reading test scores for Rockford are 23.3% below the state average, and math test scores are 24.7% below the state average.