Rock County is located in southeastern Wisconsin along the Illinois border, forming part of the state’s southern tier. Established in 1836 and named for the Rock River, the county developed early as an agricultural and milling region tied to river and rail transportation. It is a mid-sized county by Wisconsin standards, with a population of roughly 160,000 in recent estimates. The county’s principal population centers include Janesville and Beloit, while much of the surrounding area remains rural and agricultural. The landscape is characterized by glaciated plains, river valleys, and a mix of farmland and urbanized corridors along the Rock River. Manufacturing, logistics, health care, and education contribute significantly to the local economy alongside crop and dairy production. Rock County’s county seat is Janesville.

Rock County Local Demographic Profile

Rock County is located in south-central Wisconsin along the Illinois border, anchored by the Janesville–Beloit area and positioned within the broader Madison–Milwaukee–Chicago regional corridor. For local government and planning resources, visit the Rock County official website.

Population Size

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s data.census.gov county profiles and American Community Survey (ACS) tables, Rock County’s most recent official population level is available through Census Bureau county estimates and ACS 1-year/5-year releases; however, an exact single “current population” figure cannot be stated here without a specific vintage (year) and dataset selection from Census tables, which change annually.

Age & Gender

County-level age distribution and sex (gender) composition are published by the U.S. Census Bureau through ACS detailed tables on data.census.gov, including:

  • Age distribution (e.g., under 18, 18–64, 65+; and more detailed age brackets)
  • Sex (male/female counts and percentages)

A definitive age-and-sex breakdown is not stated here because the exact values depend on the selected ACS release year and table extract for Rock County.

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Rock County’s racial composition and Hispanic/Latino origin are reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in ACS and decennial Census products accessible via data.census.gov. Standard county-level categories include:

  • Race: White, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, Some Other Race, and Two or More Races
  • Ethnicity: Hispanic or Latino (of any race) and Not Hispanic or Latino

A single fixed set of percentages is not provided here because the values vary by dataset (decennial vs. ACS) and vintage year.

Household and Housing Data

Household and housing characteristics for Rock County are published by the U.S. Census Bureau via ACS tables on data.census.gov, commonly including:

  • Households: total households, average household size, family vs. nonfamily households, and household type (e.g., married-couple, single-parent, individuals living alone)
  • Housing: total housing units, occupancy (occupied vs. vacant), tenure (owner-occupied vs. renter-occupied), and selected housing characteristics (e.g., year structure built, housing value, gross rent)

A definitive set of household and housing figures is not stated here because specific values depend on the selected ACS vintage and table outputs for Rock County.

Email Usage

Rock County lies in southern Wisconsin along the Interstate 39/90 corridor; denser cities such as Janesville and Beloit generally support stronger last‑mile internet options than sparsely populated rural townships, shaping how reliably residents can access email.

Direct countywide email-usage rates are not routinely published; broadband and device access are standard proxies because email adoption depends on an internet connection and a computer or smartphone. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (data.census.gov) (American Community Survey), local indicators commonly used for email access include household broadband subscriptions and access to a computer. Age structure also affects adoption: younger and working‑age groups tend to use email for employment, education, and services, while older age cohorts show lower digital engagement on many measures; Rock County’s age distribution can be summarized using ACS demographic tables available via U.S. Census Bureau demographic profiles. Gender is generally not a primary constraint on email access compared with connectivity and device availability; ACS sex distribution is available via the same source.

Connectivity limitations are reflected in fixed-broadband availability and speeds, tracked by the FCC National Broadband Map, which can show rural pockets with fewer providers or lower advertised performance.

Mobile Phone Usage

Rock County is in south-central Wisconsin on the Illinois border, anchored by the cities of Janesville and Beloit. The county’s settlement pattern combines two urban centers and suburban/industrial corridors with extensive agricultural areas in the remainder of the county. This mix of higher-density city areas and lower-density rural townships affects mobile connectivity: dense areas typically support more sites and higher-capacity coverage, while rural areas more often face coverage gaps, weaker indoor signal, and fewer options for mid-band 5G capacity. Population size and density benchmarks for Rock County are available from the U.S. Census Bureau via Census.gov QuickFacts (Rock County, Wisconsin).

Key distinction: network availability vs. adoption

Network availability describes where mobile voice/data service is reported as available (coverage), and where specific generations (4G LTE, 5G) are deployed.
Adoption describes whether residents actually subscribe to mobile service and use it for internet access, and whether mobile service substitutes for home broadband.

County-level adoption indicators for “smartphone ownership” and “mobile-only internet use” are not consistently published across all federal datasets at the county scale; the most standardized county-scale measures often come from survey/model-based sources and should be treated as estimates. The most authoritative county-scale coverage data is collected through the FCC Broadband Data Collection and displayed on FCC maps.

Network availability (coverage) in Rock County

Primary sources and interpretation

  • The FCC publishes provider-reported mobile coverage and technology availability through its mapping program. The most direct reference for where 4G LTE and 5G are reported as available is the FCC National Broadband Map. The FCC provides background on the underlying collection and challenge process through the FCC Broadband Data Collection.
  • The Wisconsin statewide broadband office provides planning context and complementary resources at the state level through the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin broadband program pages. These materials are useful for understanding statewide connectivity priorities but are not a substitute for FCC location- and provider-reported coverage layers.

4G LTE

  • In Rock County, 4G LTE is generally reported as widely available in and around Janesville and Beloit and along major transportation corridors, with variability in rural townships and at indoor locations farther from macro sites. The FCC map is the appropriate tool for identifying which providers report LTE coverage in specific areas and for distinguishing outdoor mobile coverage from areas likely to have weaker service.
  • The FCC map reflects reported coverage and does not by itself indicate actual in-building performance, network congestion, or device compatibility.

5G (availability and typical patterns)

  • 5G availability is typically strongest in and near the county’s main population centers and along higher-traffic corridors where carriers prioritize upgrades. The FCC map can be used to view reported 5G coverage and to compare across providers.
  • County-level public reporting usually does not provide a definitive split between 5G spectrum types (low-band vs. mid-band vs. mmWave) at a level that supports a precise countywide accounting without using carrier engineering disclosures and detailed testing. The FCC map indicates 5G availability but does not provide standardized, county-level performance metrics (throughput/latency) by spectrum layer.

Fixed wireless access (FWA) delivered over mobile networks

  • Some households use cellular-based fixed wireless access for home internet. Availability of “fixed” wireless broadband products is also shown on the FCC National Broadband Map, which is distinct from “mobile” broadband availability. This distinction is important because a household may have mobile coverage but not have a fixed wireless product available at its address, or vice versa.

Adoption indicators (household access and actual use)

General adoption measures

  • Baseline household internet and computer access measures (not limited to mobile) are available from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). County tables accessed via data.census.gov can be used to identify:
    • Households with an internet subscription
    • Types of internet subscriptions (cable, fiber, DSL, satellite, cellular data plan, etc., depending on table)
    • Households with a computer (including smartphone-only/no traditional computer scenarios in some ACS tables)

ACS estimates are survey-based and include margins of error. They are the most common public source for county-level “subscription type” indicators, including cellular data plan subscriptions where reported in the relevant tables.

Mobile-only or smartphone-dependent use

  • The ACS can support analysis of households that report a cellular data plan as their internet subscription type, which is a useful proxy for mobile-reliant connectivity. However, ACS does not always fully capture nuances such as multi-SIM arrangements, prepaid plans, or situations where smartphones are the primary access device but the household also maintains another subscription.
  • High-quality county-level statistics specifically labeled “smartphone dependence” or “smartphone-only internet users” are more often published at state or metro levels rather than consistently at the county level.

Mobile internet usage patterns (4G/5G use in practice)

What can be stated from public county-level sources

  • The FCC mapping program supports statements about reported availability of LTE/5G, not direct measurement of how residents use 4G versus 5G in day-to-day connectivity.
  • County-level, publicly standardized metrics showing the share of residents actively using 5G devices/plans versus LTE-only devices are not generally published by government sources.

Common usage patterns in mixed urban–rural counties

  • Urban areas (Janesville/Beloit) typically exhibit higher likelihood of 5G handset presence and more consistent high-capacity service due to denser cell-site grids and more frequent upgrades.
  • Rural areas typically experience more reliance on LTE and more variable indoor performance due to longer distances to towers and fewer sites, even where outdoor coverage is reported.

These patterns describe typical relationships between density and radio access networks; they do not quantify Rock County’s usage split without carrier/device telemetry datasets that are not generally public at county resolution.

Common device types (smartphones vs. other devices)

Smartphones

  • Smartphones are the dominant consumer mobile device category nationally, and county-level device-type splits are rarely published in official datasets. The ACS provides “computer” and “internet subscription” indicators but does not provide a complete countywide census of smartphone ownership.
  • County-level estimates of smartphone ownership are often derived from commercial surveys; those are not standardized public reference sources and are not used here.

Other mobile-connected devices

  • Tablets, hotspots, and connected laptops are used, particularly where households rely on cellular data plans or where fixed broadband options are limited. Government datasets generally do not enumerate these device categories comprehensively at the county level.

Demographic and geographic factors influencing mobile usage and connectivity

Geography and land use

  • Rock County’s combination of urban centers and agricultural/rural land influences both coverage economics and signal propagation. Rural portions generally require more infrastructure per user to provide equivalent capacity, which commonly results in fewer sites and lower redundancy.
  • Terrain in southern Wisconsin is generally not mountainous; connectivity variation is more strongly driven by site density, building penetration (especially in older building stock and industrial structures), and distance from towers than by steep topography. Terrain and land cover still matter locally for line-of-sight and clutter losses.

Population density and settlement

  • Higher density in Janesville and Beloit supports more cell sites and more consistent in-building performance than sparsely populated townships. County population and density context is available from Census.gov QuickFacts.

Income, age, and household characteristics

  • Nationally and statewide, lower income, older age, and lower educational attainment are associated with lower broadband adoption and higher reliance on mobile-only access, but county-specific quantified relationships require county-level ACS tabulations and margins of error review. The appropriate public source for county-level demographic structure is the ACS via data.census.gov.
  • Household adoption decisions are also influenced by housing type (multi-family vs. single-family), which affects indoor signal conditions and the feasibility of fixed broadband alternatives; county-level housing characteristics are available in ACS tables.

Data limitations specific to Rock County reporting

  • Coverage (availability): The best public county-relevant source is the FCC map, but it is provider-reported and is designed for availability rather than guaranteed performance. It does not directly report typical speeds, congestion, or indoor reliability at county scale.
  • Adoption and device types: Publicly accessible county-level metrics for smartphone ownership and 5G device penetration are limited. The most consistent county-level adoption indicators are ACS estimates for internet subscription types (including cellular data plans) accessed via data.census.gov.
  • Usage patterns (LTE vs 5G actual use): Government sources generally do not publish county-level breakdowns of active 5G usage versus LTE usage; these data are typically held by carriers or derived from private measurement panels.

Authoritative external references

Social Media Trends

Rock County is in southern Wisconsin along the Illinois border, anchored by the cities of Janesville (the county seat and largest city) and Beloit. The county’s mix of mid-sized urban centers, manufacturing and logistics employers, higher-education presence (notably in Beloit), and proximity to the Madison–Milwaukee–Chicago corridor aligns with statewide and national patterns of heavy mobile and platform-based social media consumption.

User statistics (penetration / active use)

  • Overall adult social media use (proxy for Rock County): About 69% of U.S. adults report using social media, according to Pew Research Center’s Social Media Fact Sheet (national benchmark commonly used where county-level platform penetration data are not published).
  • Internet access context (important for penetration): U.S. internet adoption is broadly high (about 93% of adults), supporting widespread reach for social platforms; see Pew Research Center’s Internet/Broadband Fact Sheet.
  • County-level note: Publicly available, methodologically consistent platform penetration estimates are generally not released at the county level; most reliable measures are national/state surveys and major research panels. Rock County reporting typically relies on these benchmarks plus local demographic composition.

Age group trends (who uses social media most)

From Pew Research Center:

  • 18–29: ~84% use social media (highest-usage cohort).
  • 30–49: ~81%.
  • 50–64: ~73%.
  • 65+: ~45% (lowest, but substantial reach). Trend summary: Usage is highest among adults under 50; older adults are less likely to adopt newer platforms and more likely to concentrate usage on a smaller set of services.

Gender breakdown

Pew reports that overall social media use is similar for men and women at the aggregate level, while platform choice differs by gender (e.g., women tend to be more represented on visually oriented and community-oriented platforms, and men somewhat more represented on some discussion/video platforms depending on the service). Source: Pew Research Center’s platform-by-demographic tables.

Most-used platforms (adult usage shares; national benchmarks)

Adult usage shares from Pew Research Center (commonly used as a best-available proxy for local planning):

  • YouTube: ~83%
  • Facebook: ~68%
  • Instagram: ~47%
  • Pinterest: ~35%
  • TikTok: ~33%
  • LinkedIn: ~30%
  • WhatsApp: ~29%
  • Snapchat: ~27%
  • X (Twitter): ~22% Local implication: In counties with a broad age mix like Rock County, YouTube and Facebook typically provide the widest adult reach, while Instagram/TikTok/Snapchat skew younger and LinkedIn concentrates among college-educated and professional segments.

Behavioral trends (engagement patterns and preferences)

  • Frequency and “always online” behavior: Younger adults report markedly higher near-constant online presence. Pew’s findings on being online “almost constantly” indicate this pattern is most pronounced among younger cohorts, shaping short-form video and messaging engagement; see Pew Research Center research on mobile technology and broadband.
  • Short-form video growth: TikTok use is concentrated among younger adults, and video-first discovery behaviors are increasingly common across platforms; platform usage levels and demographic skews are summarized in Pew’s Social Media Fact Sheet.
  • Messaging and community use cases: Facebook remains a major channel for local community information sharing (events, groups, marketplace activity) and tends to maintain stronger reach among older adults than newer platforms, consistent with Pew’s age-by-platform distributions.
  • Multi-platform use: Adults frequently maintain accounts on multiple services; in practice, YouTube often functions as broad-reach passive consumption, while Facebook/Instagram support mixed passive + interactive engagement (comments, groups), and TikTok/Snapchat emphasize short-form, high-frequency sessions among younger users.

Source basis: The percentages above reflect U.S. adult survey estimates reported by Pew Research Center. County-specific platform penetration is not typically published in publicly auditable form; Rock County usage is most reliably characterized by applying these demographic and platform benchmarks to local population structure.

Family & Associates Records

Rock County family and associate-related public records include vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce), court records affecting family relationships, and property records that can document household or associate connections. In Wisconsin, birth and death records are recorded locally and centrally; Rock County issues certified copies through the Rock County Public Health Department, while statewide ordering and indexing information is provided by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (Vital Records). Adoption records are generally not public and are handled through the courts and state agencies under confidentiality rules.

Public databases include searchable court case information via Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) (Rock County Circuit Court cases), and recorded land document indexes via the Rock County Register of Deeds. For in-person services, vital record requests are processed by Rock County Public Health, while deeds, marriage records, and other recorded instruments are maintained by the Register of Deeds. Rock County court filings and probate matters are available through the Rock County Clerk of Courts.

Access is subject to Wisconsin privacy restrictions: certified vital records are typically limited to eligible requesters, some court records are sealed or confidential (including most adoption matters), and certain personal identifiers may be redacted from public copies.

Marriage & Divorce Records

Types of records available

  • Marriage license and marriage certificate records

    • In Wisconsin, marriages are documented through a marriage license application and a marriage certificate (the completed return after the ceremony).
    • Rock County creates and retains records for licenses issued by Rock County and for marriages returned to Rock County for filing.

  • Divorce records

    • Divorces are recorded as a civil court case in the circuit court. The official final document is typically the Judgment of Divorce (also called “Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Judgment” in some cases), along with related pleadings and orders.

  • Annulment records

    • Annulments are also handled as a civil court case in the circuit court, culminating in a judgment/order that determines the marriage is void or voidable under law. Annulment case files are maintained in the same manner as other family court case records.

Where records are filed and how they can be accessed

  • Marriage records (vital records)

    • Local filing/maintenance: The Rock County Register of Deeds is the county custodian for marriage records for events connected to Rock County (generally, licenses issued in Rock County and their returns).
    • State-level repository: Wisconsin maintains statewide vital records through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Vital Records.
    • Access methods: Certified and uncertified copies are commonly available through the county Register of Deeds office and through the state Vital Records office. Requests are typically fulfilled by in-person service and by mail; many counties also support online ordering through authorized vendors.

  • Divorce and annulment records (court records)

    • Local filing/maintenance: Divorce and annulment actions are filed with the Rock County Circuit Court (Clerk of Circuit Court). The clerk maintains the official case record.
    • Public case access: Basic case information and certain documents may be accessible through Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (CCAP), the statewide online case search portal: https://wcca.wicourts.gov/.
    • Obtaining copies: Copies of judgments, orders, and other filed documents are obtained from the Clerk of Circuit Court. Some documents may be available electronically; others require in-person or written requests and applicable copy fees.

Typical information included in these records

  • Marriage license application / marriage record

    • Full legal names of both parties (including prior names as reported)
    • Dates of birth and ages; place of birth (commonly state/country)
    • Addresses/residences at time of application
    • Date and place of intended/actual marriage; officiant information and officiant’s return
    • Prior marital status (single/divorced/widowed), and information about prior marriages as required on the application
    • Parents’ names (and sometimes parents’ birthplaces), as reported
    • File/license number, date issued, and filing details

  • Divorce case file / judgment of divorce

    • Case caption (party names), case number, filing date, and county
    • Grounds/basis for divorce under Wisconsin law and findings of the court
    • Date the divorce is granted and entry date of the judgment
    • Orders on legal custody/physical placement and support (when applicable)
    • Property division and debt allocation; maintenance (spousal support), when applicable
    • Name-change provisions, when requested and granted
    • Additional documents may include petitions/summons, financial disclosures, affidavits, stipulations, and post-judgment motions/orders

  • Annulment case file / judgment

    • Case caption, case number, filing date, and county
    • Findings and legal basis for annulment under Wisconsin law
    • Date and terms of the judgment/order
    • Orders addressing related issues such as property, support, and children (when applicable), depending on the circumstances and court determinations

Privacy or legal restrictions

  • Marriage records

    • Wisconsin vital records are governed by state vital records laws and administrative rules. Access to certified copies is generally restricted to persons with a direct and tangible interest (typically including the parties named on the record and certain close family members or legal representatives).
    • Uncertified copies and verification may be available under different rules depending on record type and age, but issuance is still controlled by statute and agency policy.

  • Divorce and annulment court records

    • Court records are generally public, but confidential information is restricted by Wisconsin law and court rules. Common restrictions include:
      • Protected personal identifiers (such as Social Security numbers and certain financial account information)
      • Sealed records and sealed documents by court order
      • Certain family case documents and reports that are confidential by statute (for example, specific evaluations or protected information relating to minors)
    • The online CCAP portal may omit or limit access to some documents and details even when a case exists, and sealed/confidential items are not publicly viewable online.

Practical distinctions in Rock County recordkeeping

  • Marriages are maintained primarily as vital records by the Rock County Register of Deeds (and at the state level by Wisconsin Vital Records).
  • Divorces and annulments are maintained primarily as court case records by the Rock County Clerk of Circuit Court, with statewide case-index access through CCAP and official certified copies provided through the clerk.

Education, Employment and Housing

Rock County is in south-central Wisconsin on the Illinois border, anchored by Janesville and Beloit and connected to the Madison and Chicago–Milwaukee regional economies via I‑39/90 and I‑43 corridors. The county has a mix of mid-sized cities, older industrial neighborhoods, and rural townships with agricultural land. Recent community conditions reflect a diversified economy (manufacturing, health care, education, logistics), steady in-migration/out-migration tied to regional job markets, and housing stock that ranges from early-20th-century urban homes to newer suburban subdivisions and rural lots.

Education Indicators

Public schools: count and names (availability)

Rock County’s public education is delivered primarily through multiple K‑12 districts centered on Janesville and Beloit, along with smaller surrounding districts. A single “countywide” list of every public school and official school count is not consistently maintained in one authoritative county source; the most reliable public listings are district school directories and statewide school/district report portals. District examples with publicly available school directories include:

Student–teacher ratios and graduation rates

  • Student–teacher ratio (proxy): Countywide ratios are not commonly published as a single official statistic; ratios are typically reported at the district or school level. A practical proxy is district-reported staffing and enrollment or third-party compiled ratios based on DPI data, which generally place many southern Wisconsin districts in the mid-teens to around 20:1, varying by grade and district. This should be treated as an estimate rather than a single countywide figure.
  • Graduation rates: Wisconsin publishes 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rates by district and high school through DPI report cards. Rock County graduation performance varies meaningfully by district and by high school. The authoritative source for the most recent rates is the DPI district/school report cards: Wisconsin School and District Report Cards.

Adult education levels (county residents)

The most current standardized adult attainment estimates are typically from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) for “Educational Attainment (25 years and over).” Rock County’s profile is consistent with a mixed manufacturing–service regional labor market:

  • High school diploma or higher (age 25+): reported by ACS for the county.
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+): reported by ACS for the county.
    The official, updateable source for these percentages is the county ACS profile tables via data.census.gov (Rock County, WI → Educational Attainment).

Notable programs (STEM, vocational training, AP)

  • Career and Technical Education (CTE) / vocational pathways: Commonly offered through district high schools and regional partners, including dual-credit and technical pathways aligned with manufacturing, health sciences, and skilled trades.
  • Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment: Offered in larger comprehensive high schools in the county (varies by district/school).
  • Postsecondary workforce training: Rock County residents are served by nearby technical college systems and university/college partners in the region; training participation and program detail are typically published by the institutions rather than the county as a whole.
    Program availability is best verified through district “Academics,” “CTE,” and course guide publications (district websites listed above).

School safety measures and counseling resources

Across Rock County districts, standard safety and student-support practices generally include:

  • Controlled entry procedures and visitor management in school buildings
  • School resource officer (SRO) or law-enforcement liaison arrangements in many secondary schools (district-dependent)
  • Threat assessment protocols and emergency operations planning aligned with state guidance
  • Student services staffing such as school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and behavioral/mental health supports (levels vary by school and district)
    District safety plans, student services pages, and board policies provide the most specific measures and staffing details.

Employment and Economic Conditions

Unemployment rate (most recent year available)

The most current unemployment statistics are published monthly and annually through the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and Wisconsin workforce agencies. Rock County’s unemployment rate should be cited from:

Major industries and employment sectors

Rock County’s employment base is typically led by:

  • Manufacturing (notably machinery, metal fabrication, and related industrial supply chains)
  • Health care and social assistance
  • Retail trade and accommodation/food services
  • Educational services (K‑12 and postsecondary institutions in the region)
  • Transportation and warehousing/logistics (supported by interstate access)
  • Construction and administrative/support services
    Industry shares and counts are most consistently reported via ACS “Industry by Occupation” and state workforce dashboards.

Common occupations and workforce breakdown

Occupational structure commonly reflects:

  • Production and manufacturing occupations
  • Office/administrative support
  • Sales and retail service
  • Transportation/material moving
  • Health care support and practitioner roles
  • Education and training roles
    The most standardized county occupational distributions are available through ACS at data.census.gov (Rock County → Occupation).

Commuting patterns and mean commute times

Rock County commuting reflects both local employment (Janesville/Beloit job centers) and cross-county commuting toward Dane County (Madison area) and into the Illinois employment market.

  • Mean travel time to work: reported by ACS for Rock County (minutes), including the share driving alone, carpooling, and using other modes.
    Authoritative source: ACS commuting tables on data.census.gov (Rock County → “Travel Time to Work” and “Means of Transportation to Work”).

Local employment vs out-of-county work

A substantial share of employed residents work outside their city of residence, and a meaningful portion work outside Rock County due to interstate connectivity and proximity to Madison and northern Illinois job centers. The most direct measure is:

  • ACS “Place of Work” / “County-to-county commuting” style tables (where available in ACS products), and workforce mobility datasets used by state labor market information programs.
    Primary sources include ACS commuting tables on data.census.gov and Wisconsin workforce data portals.

Housing and Real Estate

Homeownership rate and rental share

Rock County’s tenure mix includes owner-occupied housing in suburban and rural areas and higher rental concentration in the urban cores of Janesville and Beloit.

Median property values and recent trends

  • Median owner-occupied housing value: reported by ACS (a standard county median). This is the most comparable public statistic across years and places.
  • Recent trends: Like much of Wisconsin, Rock County experienced value increases during 2020–2023 with tighter inventory and higher demand; more recent movement reflects interest-rate impacts and neighborhood-level variation. For a strictly standardized trend line, ACS 1‑year/5‑year series comparisons provide the most consistent method.
    Source: ACS “Value” tables on data.census.gov.
    Note: MLS-based home price metrics (median sale price) differ from ACS “value” and are not a direct substitute.

Typical rent prices

Types of housing

Rock County’s housing stock commonly includes:

  • Single-family detached homes (dominant in suburban subdivisions and many small towns)
  • Duplexes and small multi-unit buildings (common in older city neighborhoods)
  • Apartment complexes (more prevalent in Janesville and Beloit)
  • Rural residential properties and farm-adjacent lots in townships outside city boundaries
    Housing type distributions (single-family vs multi-unit vs mobile home, etc.) are reported by ACS “Units in Structure.”

Neighborhood characteristics (proximity to schools/amenities)

  • Urban cores (Janesville/Beloit): higher density, closer proximity to hospitals, major employers, transit routes, and multi-family housing; school catchments vary by district attendance boundaries.
  • Suburban edges and village centers (e.g., around major highways): newer housing, higher rates of owner occupancy, and quicker access to interstate corridors and retail nodes.
  • Rural areas: larger lots, more dependence on driving for schools and services, and a housing pattern tied to township roads and small community centers.
    Specific school proximity is determined by district attendance boundaries and school locations published in district directories and boundary maps.

Property tax overview (average rate and typical homeowner cost)

Property taxes in Wisconsin are primarily levied by overlapping jurisdictions (municipality, county, school district, technical college, and special districts). Rock County homeowners typically face:

  • A mill rate (tax per $1,000 of assessed value) that varies by municipality and school district, and
  • A tax bill driven by assessed value and local levies.
    A countywide “average rate” is not a single fixed number due to jurisdictional variation. The most authoritative overview sources are:
  • Wisconsin Department of Revenue property tax overview
  • Local municipal and county treasurer publications and annual tax bills (which itemize levies by jurisdiction)

Data notes (scope and proxies used): Countywide figures for school counts, student–teacher ratios, and graduation rates are most accurately compiled at the district/school level using Wisconsin DPI report cards and directories; countywide single-number summaries are not consistently published. Countywide education attainment, commuting, tenure, home value, and rent metrics are most consistently obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS via data.census.gov.

Table of Contents

Other Counties in Wisconsin