2021 Quick Reference Guide

Rockford, IL MSA

RockfordIL.com CONTENTS

Regional Investment...... 02 Economic Development KPIs ...... 02 Major Industrial Sectors...... 02 Major Employers...... 03 Incentives and Credits...... 04 Logistics...... 05 Air Services...... 05 Distribution...... 06 Transit Time by Truck...... 05 Transit Time by Truck, & Rail...... 05 Motor Freight Carriers...... 05 Utilities...... 06 Electric, Natural Gas, Water...... 06 Fiber Optics...... 06 Landfill Services...... 06 Waste Managements Services...... 06 Workforce...... 07 Occupational Salaries...... 07 Availability...... 07 7:2:1 Ratio...... 07 Demographics...... 08 Age...... 08 Gender...... 08 Race...... 08 Attainment...... 08 Income...... 08 Education...... 09 Career, Technical, & Other...... 09 Undergraduate Programs...... 09 Our Community...... 09 Cost of Living...... 10 Health Care Accessibility...... 10 Retail Sales Tax Rates...... 10 Retail Trade...... 10 Quality of Place...... 11 Spectator Sports...... 11 Events & Entertainment...... 11 Culture & Arts...... 11 Active Lives...... 12 Sports & Recreation...... 12 Other Resources...... 12

01 REGIONAL INVESTMENT

The regional economic impact figures and industry specific capital investment includes data from January 2016 through December 2020 for Winnebago County. The employment concentration figures for specific industry clusters are MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) level data; which includes Winnebago and Boone Counties.

New & Renovated Space Capital Investment New & Retained Jobs 5,619,989 sq. ft. $1,271,141,316 7,416

Manufacturing

Capital Employment Notes Investment Concentration This includes but is not $542,904,169 18.1% limited to aerospace, medical, automotive, and additive manufacturing.

Logistics & Distribution

Capital Employment Notes Investment Concentration This includes but is not $43,750,000 9.1% limited to warehouse, airport improvements, and distribution.

Healthcare

Capital Employment Notes Investment Concentration This combines data from our $647,348,089 5.6% region’s four health systems, VA services, and other medical establishments.

Education

Capital Employment Notes Investment Concentration This includes universities, $37,600,000 45% private schools, RPS205, HSD 122, and HCSD 206.

Source: Bureau of Labor & Statistics May 2019; RAEDC Project Database 02 MAJOR EMPLOYERS

Aerospace Collins Aerospace Woodward 2,200 1,675

Logistics, Retail, & Distribution UPS Wal-Mart Stores Lowe’s 2,203 1,470 1,110

Healthcare Mercyhealth SwedishAmerican OSF Healthcare 4,520 3,375 2,200

Education Rockford Public Harlem Consolidated Belvidere Community Schools District Schools Unit Schools 4,075 1,1330 1,045

Automotive Fiat Chrysler Magna Syncreon Automobiles (FCA) 816 600 3,580

Food Processing Mondelez General Mills Taylor Company* 850 675 671

*Manufactures food production equipment

Government City Of Winnebago Rockford County 1,216 1,461

Source: Company, news, & statistical websites Notes: Not all figures have been updated due to a lack of information from 03 lay-offs and furloughs from COVID-19 INCENTIVES & CREDITS

Source: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Region 1 Planning Council Communities within the Rockford MSA work enthusiastically with new and expanding companies to create a higher standard of living for the region’s residents.

Incentives are an investment in the future economic well-being of a company and, as such, a return on investment of jobs, tax revenue, community cooperation, and capital investment is expected.

The Rockford Region offers an array of incentive programs for new and expanding businesses as well as entrepreneurs. These programs are designed to assist a wide selection of qualifying companies in various stages of their economic growth.

For additional information visit RockfordIL.com/incentive.

Federal Incentives State Incentives Local Incentives • New Markets Tax • EDGE Tax Credit • TIF District (Tax Credits • Advantage Illinois Increment Financing) • State of Illinois • High Impact Business Program • Rockford New Markets Tax • Apprenticeship Education Expense • Cherry Valley Credits Tax Credit • Loves Park • Opportunity Zones • Data Center Investment Tax • Machesney Park • Foreign Trade Zone – Exemptions/Credits • Rockton FTZ #176 • Enterprise Zones • South Beloit • Employment Based • Belvidere/Boone County • Community Visa Programs • Loves Park Development Block • HUB Zone • Machesney Park Grant (CDBG) Funds • Rockford I-90 • Host Fee Loan • Rockford EZ-1 Program • River Edge Redevelopment Zones • Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)

04 LOGISTICS Air Service Source: Airports Council International; Airport Authority Websites Chicago Rockford International Airport Chicago O’Hare International Airport (RFD) (ORD) • Top 20 air cargo airport in the Nation • Driving distance from I-39/90 interchange: 61 • 2018’s Fastest growing cargo airport in the miles world • 3rd busiest passenger airport & top 20 in cargo • Amazon’s Ecommerce freight hub in the world (2018) • UPS’s second-largest North American air hub • 49 passenger, 30 cargo airlines • Driving distance from I-39/90 Interchange: 11 • Nonstop service to 49 international miles destinations • AAR maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility Chicago Midway International Airport • 10,000 and 8,200 feet of hard surface runway (MDW) Can land any aircraft operating today • • Driving distance from I-39/90 interchange: 86 • Category III instrument landing system miles Centerline and touchdown zone lighting • • Nonstop service to 73 cities Foreign Trade Zone benefits (FTZ #176) • • 26th busiest passenger airport in U.S. (2018) • 24/7 customs, federal inspections • CES (Centralized Examination Station) • Multiple FBOs - full spectrum of aviation services • 3,000+ acres of airport land for development • 200+ airside acres

• 2,000+ acres for industrial, commercial projects Madison Milwaukee • Home to Global Trade Park, shovel ready sites

Janesville

Rail Service WISCONSIN Beloit Rail carriers serving area: Dubuque ILLINOIS South Beloit BNSF, CN, CP Lake Shortline rail serving area: Rockford Michigan Belvidere Illinois Railway Chicago Rockford Services Include: International Airport (RFD) Schaumburg Evanston • Continuous switching service IOWA Rochelle O’Hare International • Intermodal service available Airport (ORD) Chicago • Transload service available Aurora Naperville

Quad Cities INDIANA Joliet

05 DISTRIBUTION Transit Time by Truck

Minneapolis <1 Day Rockford MSA New Detroit York Chicago < 1 Day 3 Days Denver <1/2 Day 3 Days Kansas City 2 Days St. Louis <1 Day Los Angeles 4 Days Atlanta 2 Days Dallas 3 Days New Orleans 3 Days

We are #1 in interstate and railroad Rail & Truck Transit connections – 4 interstates run through the Times Comparison region, businesses located here can reach 75% of U.S. businesses within a 24-hour Highway Days by Days by Hours by truck drive. City Miles Rail Truck Truck Chicago 90 1 <1/2 1.5 All of this with the proximity to the major markets of Chicago, Madison, and Cleveland 422 4 1 6.5 Milwaukee, but without all the congestion! Kansas City 412 2 <1 7 Milwaukee 90 1 <1/2 1.5 New York 889 5 3 13.5 Motor Freight Carriers St. Louis 297 2 <1 4.5 Local...... 45 Long-Distance Truckload...... 74 Long-Distance Less Than Truckload...... 17 Specialized...... 37

06 UTILITIES

Utilities Fiber Optic Source: Region 1 Planning Council Source: Region 1 Planning Council, Industry Reports The Rockford MSA has competitive utility costs and Business and residential customers within the a modern infrastructure, offering a lower cost of Rockford MSA have access to robust fiber optic doing business with high-quality resources. and broadband services.

Illinois is ranked 3rd in the country for grid Dark fiber exists throughout the region, modernization, 10 spots ahead of our closest particularly along interstates 90 and 39. Midwest neighbor. A redundant fiber loop connects the Rockford Electric MSA to Chicago and other networks. ComEd (Investor-owned): Serves most of the MSA. Top 10% in reliability Comcast Business: More than 250 miles of fiber nationally. Business incentives are optics in the area, delivering Internet speeds up available. to 10 Gbps with options for even greater speeds.

Rock Energy (Co-Op): Serves a small iFiber: Provides up to 1 Gbps network transport northern portion of the MSA. It is a services for the public and private sector on a non-profit serving 27,000 customers in 900-mile fiber network across nine Northern two states. Illinois counties.

Natural Gas Nicor Gas (Investor-owned): Serves Industrial Services most of the MSA. It is the largest Source: U.S. Census Bureau MSA Business Patterns (2016) natural gas distributor in Northern The Rockford MSA has robust industrial and Illinois. Energy rebates are available. advanced manufacturing supply chains and is a top logistics distribution center. Rock Energy (Co-Op): Serves small northern portion of MSA. It is a non- Machine Shops...... 154 profit serving 27,000 customers in two Tool and Die Shops...... 25 states.

Water & Sewer Landfills The region is considered attractive for Source: U.S. Census Bureau MSA Business Patterns (2016) its water capacity, quality, and service. Winnebago Reclamation Services, Veolia ES Orchard Hills Landfill, Rochelle Sanitary Landfill, or Area Disposal Service Inc. Waste Management/ Remediation Services...... 21

07 WORKFORCE

The Rockford MSA has a workforce with twice the national average of manufacturing employment along with strong technical and engineering skills. We have built the pipelines needed to support our establish and developing industry clusters and this workforce solution is what sets the region apart. Occupational Salaries Availability Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2018 1-year estimates Source: Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), 2020 Occupation Annual Mean Salary Commutable Non-Farm Workforce Management Occupations (General)...... $95,930 Within Rockford MSA...... 174,579 Chief Executives...... $203,308 30 Minutes...... 217,012 Marketing Managers...... $100,340 45 Minutes...... 265,053 Industrial Production Manager...... $98,680 Construction Manager...... $84,840 Employed in Manufacturing Education Administrator...... $88,090 Source: Bureau of Labor and Statistics, May 2019 (Kindergarten - Secondary) Rockford MSA...... 16.0% Architectural & Engineering Manager...... $114,970 State of Illinois...... 9.5% Logistician...... $53,540 USA...... 6.2% Project Management ...... $68,850 & Business Operations Specialist Area Attainment Source: U.S. Census Bureau; MSA level data; Individuals 25 yeas Mechanical Engineer...... $82,530 old and older Healthcare Practitioners ...... $85,680 Percent & Technical Occupations High school graduate/...... 88.8 Registered Nurse...... $66,910 equivalence or higher Nurse Practitioners...... $119,450 Bachelor’s degree or higher...... 16 Family Medicine Physician...... $276,590 Graduate or Professional degree...... 8.8 Customer Service Representative...... $35,710 Construction & Extraction Occupations...... $65,470 Carpenters...... $61,560 Our region has established nimble, industry specific, Plumbers, Pipefitters, Steamfitters...... $84,100 and customized Installation, Maintenance, ...... $48,640 education-to-workforce Repair Occupations 7:2:1 pipelines ensuring the Aircraft Mechanics & Service Technicians...... $56,500 region has the skilled Maintenance Workers, Machinery...... $50,570 workforce essential for fulfilling the requirements Production Occupations...... $42,180 of jobs that are good today, tomorrow, and in First-Line Supervisors of Production ...... $65,860 the future. & Workers Miscellaneous Assembler, Fabricator...... $45,160 Learn more about continuing education, certification, apprenticeship, skilled trade, Welder, Cutter, Solderer, Brazer...... $41,160 technical, or vocational training opportunities at Computer Numerically Controlled...... $50,340 • Rockford.edu Tool Programmer • RockValleyCollege.edu • ProjectFirstRate.com • RockfordCareerCollege.edu • RRVTMA.com 08 DEMOGRAPHICS

The Rockford Region is strong because of its diverse demographics and connected location — central in the Midwest and right next to the expanding Chicagoland market. And it is strong because of the cooperative, attractive cities and villages of all sizes across north-central Illinois. Wider Population Age Source: Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), 2019 Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program; MSA level data Rockford MSA...... 345,079 Total Percent Within 25 miles...... 472,245 0 - 5 17,415 6.2 Within 50 miles...... 1,864,434 5 - 9...... 10,478...... 6.5 Within 100 miles...... 13,473,897 10 - 14...... 18,434...... 6.5 15 - 19...... 17,963...... 6.4 Income 20 - 24...... 17,492...... 6.2 Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020 1-year 25 - 34...... 34,366...... 12.2 estimates; Winnebago County level data 35 - 44...... 34,265...... 12.1 Median Household Income...... $53,866 45 - 54...... 34,795...... 12.3 Mean Household Income...... $73,962 55 - 59...... 20,210...... 7.2 Per Capita Personal Income...... $28,977 60 - 64...... 18,613...... 6.6 65 - 74...... 29,777...... 11 75 - 84...... 14,892...... 5.3 Gender 85+...... 5,962...... 2.1 Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program

Total...... Percent Median Age...... 39.8 Male 138,060...... 48.9 Female 144,512...... 51.1

Race Places of Worship Source: ESRI 2020, MSA Level Data Protestant Churches...... 269 Label Total Catholic Churches...... 17 American Indian...... 1,276 Latter-Day Saints Congregations...... 5 Asian...... 9,241 Orthodox Churches...... 3 Black and African American...... 40,813 Buddhist Temples...... 4 Hispanic...... 52,755 Mosques...... 1 Multiple Races...... 12,131 Unitarian Universalist Churches...... 2 Other Races...... 23,634 Jewish Synagogues...... 2 Pacific Islander...... 126 Baha’i Centers...... 1 White...... 257,858

09 EDUCATION

Career, Technical, Undergraduate & Other Programs Source: School, Ranking, & News website Source: School, Ranking, & News websites Enrollment Enrollment Rock Valley College...... 5,415 Northern Illinois University...... 13,457 Kishwaukee College...... 2,295 Uni. of Wisconsin...... 11,133 Blackhawk Technical College...... 2,470 Beloit College...... 1,402 Highland Community College...... 1,730 Rockford University...... 1,211 Rasmussen College...... 571 Judson University...... 1,230 Rockford Career College...... 408 Northern Illinois University...... 972 St. Anthony College of Nursing...... 202 Winnebago County features award winning Uni. of Illinois-College of Medicine...... 387 schools. Rockford Public Schools District 205 Upper Iowa University...... 120 (RPS205) has attained level 4/5 in the Ford Next Generation Model Community and two schools have been awarded Model Status 10 from the National Career Academy Coalition. OUR COMMUNITY

The Rockford MSA is comprised of communities focused on exceptional quality of life for our residents and companies. The region is home to both large and small communities providing a wide array of lifestyle options from downtown lofts to quiet tree-lined historic neighborhoods. Live downtown, near a river, or in a rural home with plenty of space around you.

In the Rockford MSA, life is affordable and convenient, Our low cost of living makes creating a life here the easy choice. Reclaim your day by trading windshield time for activities with friends and family. Cost of Living Index Transportation Source: C2ER (2020 Annual Average). Costs include housing, food, utilities, Rockford Mass Transit District (RMTD) transportation, miscellaneous goods, and health care. • 21 day routes, 6 night routes, 6 Sunday only New York (Manhattan), NY...... 244.7 routes, 41 vehicles Honolulu, HI...... 198.6 • Service hours: Mon-Fri 5:15 am - 11:15 pm, Sat San Diego, CA...... 141.3 6:00 am - 5:45 pm, Sun 9:15 am - 5:15 pm Chicago, IL...... 120.0 Denver, CO...... 110.8 Intercity Bus: Coach USA/Van Galder Madison, WI...... 106.6 Bus Company Minneapolis, MN...... 106.2 • Daily service to O’Hare: 18 trips inbound, 20 Joliet-Will County, IL...... 100.6 outbound between 2:20 am and 12:30 am • 13 trips daily both to/from Downtown Detroit, MI...... 99.5 Chicago/Union Station Austin, TX...... 99.3 • 13 trips daily both to/from Midway Airport Phoenix, AZ...... 98.9 Cleveland, OH...... 96.6 Means of Transportation .Total Percent Cedar Rapids, IA...... 95.8 Car/Truck/Van (alone)...... 129,708...... 84.3 Chattanooga, TN...... 94.7 Car/Truck/Van (carpool)...... 13,790...... 9.0 Mobile, AL...... 94.3 Public Transportation...... 1,634...... 1.1 Peoria, IL...... 92.6 Walk...... 1,486...... 1.0 Columbus, OH...... 92.2 Taxi/Motorcycle/Bike/Other...... 1,830...... 1.2 Indianapolis, IN...... 92.1 Quad Cities, IL - IA...... 91.7 Mean travel time to work...... 22.7 minutes Wichita, KS...... 90.8 *Some data in this category may be impacted by COVID-19 Des Moines, IA...... 89.6 Rockford, IL...... 88.9 Champaign-Urbana, IL...... 87.7 St. Louis, MO...... 87.6 Retail Sales Tax State...... 6.25% Retail Trade County...... 1.5% Source: 2017 U.S. Census Bureau; MSA level data Municipal*...... 0.0 to 2.0% Number of Retail Establishments...... 1,026 *Special business districts in certain communities have higher rates. Total Retail Sales...... $4,342,023,000

11 QUALITY OF PLACE

The positive business climate throughout our region is matched by a great quality of life! We have world-class attractions and activities throughout the year; which are within close proximity to major metropolitan areas. The advantages include big-city lifestyle but with a small-town feel. Spectator Sports Events & Entertainment While spectator sports usually means watching, There’s always something fun to do all season long in our area that translates to being fully involved in our region like discovering handmade artisan cheering for your favorite teams and players creations, learning about the Sock Monkey, or and having the chance to say you saw them play simply strolling our beautiful conservatory and before they became famous. gardens, visit downtown and sample the delicious • Rockford IceHogs, AHL hockey team food, or check out our unique storefronts for a bit of (affiliates of the Chicago Blackhawks) shopping. • Rockford Rivets, collegiate baseball • Rockford Speedway, the highest ranked Our spectacular events attract people from near quarter mile oval short track raceway and far. For a more complete list of activities visit: tabbed as “Mid-America’s Finest GoRockford.com. Racetrack” • 815 Day • Farmers & Craft Markets • Friday Night Flix • Heritage Days • Hometown Christmas Culture and Arts • Old Settlers Days • Rock River Anything That Floats Race 01 Symphony Orchestra • Rockford ProAm • Screw City Beer Festival • Stroll on State 07 Theaters • Tough Mudder • WWII Days 12 Art Galleries Healthcare Source: Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, Online Sources, Area Health Resources Files 14 Public Libraries Rockford MSA residents enjoy the highest-quality and accessibility in medical care from four health systems. Museums 15 Hospital Number of Beds Mercyhealth...... 268 SwedishAmerican Hospital...... 359 SwedishAmerican Medical Center Belvidere...... 39 OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center...... 254

Number of Physicians (M.D.)...... 1,003 Number of Dentists (D.D.S.)...... 202

12 ACTIVE LIVES

The Rockford region has been a pioneering sports town since the mid-1980s. The UW Health Sports Factory downtown is designed for championship caliber basketball, volleyball and much more with its 105,000 square feet of competition space.

Across town, Mercyhealth Sportscore Two has turf and natural grass fields and the mega indoor sports complex is designed for everything from softball and soccer to ultimate frisbee and adaptive sports.

Our fields and facilities, along with public parks, forest preserves, golf courses and outdoor recreation spaces bring millions of adventure seekers to our region each year.

Sport & Recreation Other Amenities Source: Online sources; MSA level data Source: Online sources; Winnebago County & MSA level data

Public Parks...... 185 31 Hotels, Motels, & Parkland Acres...... 8,629+ Extended Stay Forest Preserve/Conservation Acres...... 17,209+ 8 Campgrounds

Public Swimming Pools...... 6 Water Parks...... 1 308 Restaurants

Fitness & Recreational Sports Facilities...... 28

1 Civic Center Ice Arenas...... 3

Seats Indoor Sports Centers...... 2 10,000 Outdoor Sports Centers...... 2 2 Daily Newspapers Public Golf Courses...... 22 Country Clubs...... 3 5 Weekly Newspapers

101 Financial Institutions

12 fm Radio Stations

6 am Radio Stations

7 TV Stations

13 Your Award Winning Opportunity Region

#4 #4 IndustryWeek SmartAsset #5 #6 Best Places Healthcare Milken Institute Forbes to Work in access & home Best-Performing Easiest Places to Manufacturing in affordability Cities for Job Make Your Mark the Nation (3rd straight year) Growth

#9 Top 15 SmartAsset #6 Best Places to Reader’s Digest USA Today Work In Best Places to Fastest Growing Manufacturing Move to in the Housing Market Nation

100 Park Ave, Suite 100, Rockford, Illinois 61101 T: 815.987-8118 | [email protected]

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