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Quality of Life in Rock County
A livable area that tracks near national norms for affordability, walkability, and neighborhood health.
What does Quality of Life tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
What does this tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
Cost of Living
17% below national average
121%
The Real Cost of Living in Rock County for 2026
| Tier | Individual | Family (4) |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | $16k | $31k |
| Comfortable | $42k | $62k |
| Luxury | $110k+ | $171k+ |
| Elite (Top 5%) | $129k+ | $201k+ |
Quality-of-Life Analysis
Rock County, Wisconsin, offers a broad quality-of-life spectrum that ranges from the urban amenities of its largest city, Janesville, to the quiet, agricultural rhythms of towns like Footville and Orfordville. This diversity attracts a wide mix of residents: young professionals and families seeking jobs and entertainment in the county's core, retirees and commuters looking for small-town affordability in communities like Edgerton or Milton, and farmers or rural homesteaders drawn to the open spaces around Clinton and Beloit Township. With a cost-of-living index of 83 (well below the national average of 100), a median home value of $215,900, and a median rent of $1,019, the county provides tangible financial breathing room across nearly all its communities.
Largest town(s) & population centers
Janesville, the county seat and largest city (population roughly 65,000), is the primary hub for employment, retail, and culture. Daily life here centers on the historic downtown along the Rock River, which features a mix of local restaurants, the Janesville Performing Arts Center, and the Rock County Historical Society. Major employers include Mercyhealth Hospital, Blain's Farm & Fleet headquarters, and a cluster of manufacturing and logistics firms. The city offers a full range of amenities—from the Janesville Mall and multiple grocery chains to the 4,000-acre Rock County Golf Course and the Ice Age Trail access points. Beloit (population ~37,000), the county's second-largest city, has a distinct identity anchored by Beloit College and a revitalized riverfront with the Beloit International Film Festival and the Ironworks event venue. Its downtown is more compact and walkable than Janesville's, and it draws a younger, arts-oriented crowd. Both cities have public school systems with graduation rates around 90%, and both offer direct access to Interstate 90/39, making the average county commute of 23.6 minutes feasible for workers heading to Madison (45 minutes north) or Rockford, IL (20 minutes south).
Smaller towns & rural pockets
Outside the two main cities, Rock County's smaller communities offer distinctly quieter lifestyles. Milton (population ~5,700) is a historic railroad town with a walkable downtown, the Milton House Museum (a stop on the Underground Railroad), and a strong sense of community centered on Milton High School athletics and the Rock River. Edgerton (population ~5,500), straddling the Rock and Dane county line, is known as "Tobacco City" for its agricultural heritage and hosts the annual Edgerton Tobacco Days festival; its downtown features antique shops and a public library. Evansville (population ~5,200) sits in the county's northwest corner and is a classic small town with a preserved 19th-century commercial district, a weekly farmers market, and access to the Sugar River State Trail for biking and hiking. Orfordville (population ~1,500) and Footville (population ~800) are unincorporated villages surrounded by working farms, offering little more than a post office, a gas station, and a tavern—ideal for those seeking true rural seclusion. Clinton (population ~2,000) sits near the Illinois border and has a strong agricultural base, with grain elevators and farm supply stores dominating the landscape.
Cost & lifestyle range
The cost-of-living spread across Rock County is significant, though all areas remain affordable by national standards. At the higher end, Janesville's historic neighborhoods (e.g., Courthouse Hill) and newer subdivisions near the interstate command median home prices around $250,000–$300,000, with rents for a two-bedroom apartment averaging $1,100–$1,300. These areas offer walkable access to restaurants, parks, and the YMCA. At the lower end, rural townships like Beloit Township and Clinton see median home values closer to $180,000–$200,000, with rents for a one-bedroom unit often below $900. The trade-off is clear: lower housing costs come with longer drives to grocery stores (often 10–15 minutes) and fewer dining or entertainment options. Milton and Edgerton sit in the middle, with home values around $210,000–$230,000 and rents near $950–$1,050, offering a balance of small-town amenities and reasonable commutes to Janesville or Madison. Property taxes in Rock County average about 1.8% of assessed value, slightly below the Wisconsin state average, which helps keep overall housing costs manageable.
Rock County is best suited for residents who value affordability and choice over urban density. Families and first-time homebuyers find the widest range of housing options in Janesville and Beloit, while retirees and remote workers gravitate to Milton or Evansville for their walkable downtowns and community events. Farmers and rural enthusiasts thrive in the unincorporated areas of Clinton, Orfordville, and Footville, where land is still available for hobby farms or acreage living. The county's mix of interstate access, low cost of living, and distinct community identities means that nearly any lifestyle—from city-centric to deeply rural—can be accommodated within a 25-minute drive.
Crime in Rock County
Generally safer than 64% of comparable U.S. locations.
Violent CrimeViolent Crime Analysis
Property CrimeProperty Crime Analysis
Crime Analysis
Rock County, Wisconsin, presents a mixed safety profile, with violent crime rates below the national average but property crime rates that exceed both state and national benchmarks. The county's overall violent crime rate of 222.4 per 100,000 residents is notably lower than the U.S. average of 380 per 100,000, while its property crime rate of 922.9 per 100,000 sits above the Wisconsin average of roughly 1,200 per 100,000 and the national figure of 1,954 per 100,000. This divergence means residents in communities like Janesville and Beloit face different safety realities depending on where they live, with property theft and vehicle break-ins being the most common concerns.
Crime in context
Rock County's violent crime rate of 222.4 per 100,000 is roughly 41% lower than the national rate, placing it in a safer tier compared to many Midwestern counties of similar population. However, the property crime rate of 922.9 per 100,000 is about 53% lower than the national average but still higher than the Wisconsin state average of approximately 1,200 per 100,000. This means that while residents are less likely to experience violent offenses like assault or robbery, they face elevated risks of burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. For context, neighboring Dane County (Madison) reports a violent crime rate near 300 per 100,000, while rural Green County sits closer to 150 per 100,000. Rock County's property crime rate is driven largely by thefts from vehicles and residential burglaries in the county's two largest cities, Janesville and Beloit, which together account for over 70% of reported incidents.
What residents experience
Daily life in Rock County varies sharply by location. In Janesville, the county seat and largest city, residents report frequent vehicle break-ins and package thefts, particularly in neighborhoods near the U.S. Highway 14 corridor and the downtown area. Beloit, the second-largest city, has historically struggled with higher violent crime rates, including aggravated assaults and robberies, though recent data shows a downward trend since 2022. The progressive-leaning district attorney's office in Rock County has faced criticism from some residents for prioritizing diversion programs and restorative justice over incarceration, a philosophy that critics argue leads to more property crimes as repeat offenders cycle through the system without meaningful consequences. In contrast, smaller communities like Edgerton, Milton, and Evansville report significantly lower crime rates, with violent incidents being rare and property crime largely limited to opportunistic theft. The Rock County Sheriff's Office patrols unincorporated areas and smaller towns, where response times are longer but crime rates are substantially lower than in the urbanized core.
Neighborhood-level variation is pronounced. In Janesville, the south side near the Rock River and the area around the former General Motors plant tend to see higher property crime rates, while the northwest side near the Janesville Mall and the newer subdivisions off Interstate 90/39 are generally safer. Beloit's east side, near the Beloit College campus and the downtown riverfront, has seen targeted policing efforts that have reduced violent crime, but the west side near the industrial corridor still experiences elevated theft and drug-related offenses. For those considering relocation, the safest bets within Rock County are the smaller towns of Edgerton (population 5,500), Milton (5,700), and Evansville (5,100), where violent crime is nearly nonexistent and property crime rates hover around 400-500 per 100,000. The progressive judicial philosophy in Rock County's court system, while intended to reduce incarceration, has created a perception among some residents that property crime carries insufficient deterrents, a factor worth weighing when choosing a specific neighborhood.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-05-12T08:22:18.000Z
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