Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0There are 1.8 jobs in Rockford for every working resident, and 634 people commute in
A typical one-way commute lasts 19 minutes, next to 26 for Tennessee and 26 for the U.S. Employers in Rockford report 643 jobs, and 366 of its residents work somewhere. Only 2% stay in Rockford for work; outside it, Knoxville is the main destination (27%, 9 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Rockford and work: the main findings
A lot of Rockford works one town over
37% of working residents work in a town that borders Rockford: Knoxville (27%) and Alcoa (10%). Next door ↓
Rockford is where the jobs are
Rockford has 643 jobs, 1.8 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Rockford makes and builds things
48% of the jobs based in Rockford are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Rockford residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 21%. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 366 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The daily flow of workers through Rockford
On a workday 357 residents head out to work and 9 work right here.
About 1,100 people are in Rockford on a workday afternoon, 33% more than live here.
1.8 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Rockford works in goods: 48% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rockford, 2014 → 2024: 484 → 643. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Rockford’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting in to Rockford: where workers come from
Where Rockford clocks in
27% of workers
13% of workers
10% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The trip to work from Rockford: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rockford workers work from home, vs 13% across Tennessee. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 388 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across Tennessee: 87% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Rockford
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Rockford and its neighbors: 37% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
The biggest share goes to Knoxville. Darker towns draw more of Rockford’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Rockford: questions
What is the median household income in Rockford?
$71,094 (±$17,965) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $69,595 across Tennessee and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rockford?
8.9%, against 13.8% across Tennessee and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rockford?
19 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Tennessee and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rockford work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Knoxville (27%, 9 mi), Maryville (13%, 6 mi), Alcoa (10%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Rockford without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rockford, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rockford
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.