Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 23,712, incorporated in 1947.
Loves Park grades D overall, ranked 742nd of 767 in Illinois, mostly because of schools. Its schools rank behind 93% of the state's. One bright spot: it has 45 miles of trail and 33% conserved land. 33% of the land in Loves Park is conserved, above both Illinois’ towns (3.6%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Rock Cut State Park, 2,984 acres with 35.7 miles of trail. Only 62 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on history.
Where Loves Park beats most towns.
33.4% of the town is conserved land, across 20 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Loves Park is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,366 in 1950, 23,397 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 5 maps from 1918 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Loves Park, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Loves Park.
Loves Park keeps more of its land conserved than most of Illinois, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Rockford and other neighbors.
Its 3,577 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of Illinois towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #5 of 768 in Illinois.
At 2.7 miles per square mile, Loves Park’s trail density is above both the Illinois town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). 45 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rock Cut State Park | 35.7 mi | 2,984 |
| 2. Willow Creek Natural Area | 3 mi | 142 |
| 3. Wentland Sports Park | 1.1 mi | 32 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Home values rose 48% in five years, to about $203K, against 30% across Illinois.
The typical Loves Park home is worth about $203,000, up 7.1% in a year, 31% below the Illinois typical home. 61% of households own their home in Loves Park.
| Loves Park | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,120 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 9,374 U.S. towns with household incomes like Loves Park’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Loves Park beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 41% of Loves Park adults have obesity.
| Loves Park | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Loves Park | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.3% | 10.3% |
| More smokers | 16.1% | 12.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Loves Park has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Loves Park’s July high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Loves Park has about as many jobs (12,034) as working residents, but only 1,281 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 21.5 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
Most working residents leave Loves Park for work: only 12% work in town. The average trip to work in Loves Park is 22 minutes. The top destinations are Rockford (36%), Machesney Park (5%) and Chicago (4%).
| Loves Park | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 70 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Loves Park.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Loves Park. Close and well known come first.
25 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
7 mi Stadium & arenaBMO Center
40 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre
5 mi GardenAnderson Japanese Gardens
31 mi TheatreEgyptian Theatre, DeKalb
28 mi TheatreWoodstock Opera HouseIllinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · BMO Center: SimLibrarian, CC0 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Anderson Japanese Gardens: M. Readey, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb: Andy McMurray, CC BY 2.5 · Woodstock Opera House: HrAtsuo, CC0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Loves Park
About 5 of every 100 Loves Park residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
City in Illinois, United States
Loves Park is a city in Boone and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Most of the city is in Winnebago County, with a tiny sliver in the east located in Boone County. The population was 23,397 at the 2020 census. Loves Park is part of the Rockford metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Loves Park.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loves Park | #742 | D | C+ | C+ | D | C |
| Machesney Park | #737 | D | C+ | C+ | D | C+ |
| Rockford · Rockford Township | #767 | D− | C+ | D− | D | D |
| Harlem Township | #712 | D | C+ | — | D | B− |
| Argyle | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Owen Township | #762 | D− | C | — | D | D− |
| Belvidere Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Harlem Township and Owen Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Argyle and Belvidere Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Rockford Township and Rockford are one community, graded once. Compare Loves Park with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Loves Park grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #742 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health, C+ for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($68,033 across the Rockford, IL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
