Population 817 · Census ACS 2020–24
Choose a measure to map it.Tap a measure to map it. Swipe the row for more. Arrows show the change since 2006–10.
Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Younger residents
Older residents
Colorblind friendly
off
More maps of Rockdale: Best Neighborhoods · Walk Grade · Household income · Home prices · Race · Politics · Traffic noise · Internet
Population and households in Rockdale
Household size in Rockdale
| Period | Rockdale | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.29 | 2.43 | 2.45 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.34 | 2.41 | 2.47 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.37 | 2.39 | 2.43 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.41 | 2.30 | 2.40 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.12 | −0.13 | −0.06 | −0.03 |
The average household in Rockdale has 2.41 people, under the U.S. average of 2.65. Still, the typical household here is bigger than in the Madison area as a whole, where it has 2.30 people. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.29, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Rockdale
| Period | Rockdale | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 44.9 | 37.0 | 38.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 47.6 | 37.9 | 39.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 47.0 | 38.3 | 40.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 46.7 | 38.9 | 41.4 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.7 | +1.9 | +2.6 | +2.3 |
Rockdale skews older: half of its residents are older than 46.7, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Rockdale
| Period | Rockdale | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.7% | 8.7% | 10.4% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 6.2% | 8.8% | 10.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 5.5% | 8.0% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 8.9% | 8.2% | 9.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | +4.2 pts | −0.5 pts | −0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are less common in Rockdale than nationally: 8.9%, against 11.6%. That is in line with the rest of the Madison area.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Rockdale
Renters in Rockdale
| Period | Rockdale | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 19.6% | 35.1% | 30.5% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 19.9% | 38.3% | 32.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 15.9% | 38.9% | 33.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 18.7% | 39.7% | 32.2% | 34.8% |
| Change | −0.9 pts | +4.5 pts | +1.6 pts | +1.5 pts |
Rockdale is largely a place of homeowners: only 18.7% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. About four in ten owners (40.4%) have paid off their mortgages, about the same as nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Rockdale
| Period | Rockdale | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.4% | 8.9% | 10.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.5% | 6.3% | 10.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 12.2% | 5.7% | 10.1% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 7.9% | 5.5% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
| Change | −3.5 pts | −3.4 pts | −1.3 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in Rockdale than nationally: 7.9%, against 9.6% for the U.S. Even so, the rate is higher than in the Madison area overall (5.5%).
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Rockdale
| Period | Rockdale | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1973 | 1976 | 1970 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1971 | 1978 | 1971 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1978 | 1979 | 1972 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1981 | 1983 | 1974 | 1980 |
| Change | +8 | +7 | +5 | +6 |
Homes in Rockdale are about the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1981, versus 1980 nationally.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Rockdale
| Period | Rockdale | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $767 | $868 | $758 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $839 | $950 | $821 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $904 | $1,072 | $904 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,127 | $1,366 | $1,139 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$360 | +$498 | +$380 | +$606 |
Rent in Rockdale runs $1,127 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 33.8% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Rockdale
Bachelor's degrees in Rockdale
| Period | Rockdale | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 31.4% | 41.3% | 26.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 32.6% | 43.6% | 28.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 28.8% | 46.9% | 30.4% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 33.3% | 50.6% | 33.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | +1.8 pts | +9.3 pts | +7.0 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are about as common in Rockdale as nationally: 33.3% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. The share is lower than in the wider Madison area (50.6%).
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Rockdale
| Period | Rockdale | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 95.5% | 93.8% | 89.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 93.4% | 94.4% | 90.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 97.3% | 95.2% | 92.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 95.5% | 95.1% | 93.3% | 89.3% |
| Change | +0.0 pts | +1.3 pts | +3.8 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in Rockdale: 95.5% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%. The Madison area as a whole looks much the same.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Rockdale
| Period | Rockdale | Madison area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.6% | 5.0% | 6.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 5.1% | 5.5% | 7.3% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.8% | 2.6% | 3.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.3% | 2.6% | 3.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.3 pts | −2.4 pts | −3.4 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Rockdale has been low: just 3.3% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Locally, though, the rate is higher than in the wider Madison area (2.6%). Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Rockdale compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockdale | 2.41 | 46.7 | 8.9% | 18.7% | 7.9% | 1981 | $1,127 | 33.3% | 95.5% | 3.3% |
| Cambridge | 2.41 | 48.7 | 6.2% | 16.1% | 9.0% | 1976 | $1,351 | 40.9% | 96.6% | 5.6% |
| London | 2.65 | 41.9 | 4.5% | 17.0% | 3.9% | 1992 | $1,270 | 44.4% | 96.4% | 2.0% |
| Hillside | 2.53 | 48.4 | 6.8% | 9.3% | 19.4% | 1970 | $1,181 | 23.5% | 94.1% | 2.0% |
| Busseyville | 2.46 | 49.7 | 6.8% | 5.8% | 22.7% | 1968 | $1,175 | 19.9% | 93.7% | 1.6% |
| Deerfield | 2.59 | 38.9 | 8.7% | 17.1% | 2.1% | 1986 | $1,123 | 37.0% | 95.8% | 1.3% |
| Utica | 2.62 | 48.9 | 3.3% | 12.9% | 5.8% | 1975 | $1,052 | 38.5% | 98.2% | 3.3% |
| Lake Koshkonong | 2.35 | 49.7 | 8.7% | 12.7% | 20.8% | 1964 | $1,278 | 24.9% | 85.9% | 0.7% |
| Milford | 2.82 | 46.3 | 5.2% | 5.7% | 9.4% | 1990 | $1,181 | 56.8% | 96.5% | 2.5% |
| Lake Mills | 2.51 | 41.7 | 7.3% | 27.2% | 13.7% | 1973 | $1,177 | 43.4% | 95.4% | 2.1% |
| Fort Atkinson | 2.32 | 43.7 | 7.3% | 27.2% | 4.6% | 1972 | $1,014 | 27.0% | 90.3% | 3.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Santan, AZ · Kansas, IL · Keithsburg, IL · Kirkwood, IL · Lake Elmore, VT · Lake Spring, MO · Laughlin A F B, TX · Lewis, NY · Lincoln Center, ME · Lisbon, IN
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Rockdale. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
No other site shows detail at this level for free. We are able to keep this site free by receiving a small commission from the referring links on this page. Please share or cite this page if you aren’t able to otherwise support our work.