Janesville is the largest city in Rock County. It is also the county seat and a commercial center for surrounding communities. From 2015 to 2025, Janesville experienced population growth of 4.7%, outpacing the state’s population growth of 3.1% over the same time period.

County GDP is the market value of goods and services produced within a county during one year. While other measures of county economies rely mainly on labor market data, GDP is a more comprehensive figure because it captures trends in labor, revenue, and value of production.

Part 1 Crimes include all violent crimes as well as property crimes and are measured per 100,000 residents. The slight increase in Part 1 Crimes in 2022 was concentrated among property crimes and followed national trends. Overall, Part 1 Crimes have decreased 36% since 2017.

In 2024, 76% of respondents to the 2024 Strategic Plan Community Survey conducted by BerryDunn ranked the “Overall Quality of Life in Janesville” as “Good.” In 2025, 71% of respondents agreed with the statement “Janesville is a good place to live” in the 2025 National Community Survey.

Every year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) scores publicly funded school districts as: Significantly Exceeds Expectations (100 to 83), Exceeds Expectations (82.9 to 70), Meets Expectations (69.9 to 58), Meets Few Expectations (57.9 to 48), and Fails to Meet Expectations (47.9 and below).

From 2010 to 2020, the district's average graduation rate was 87.5%. In 2020, the graduation rate surpassed 90%, reaching 92.5%. Since then, it has remained above 90% for five consecutive years. The 2025 graduation rate of 93.6% is 1.6 percentage points higher than the state rate of 92.0%.

Every year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) scores publicly funded school districts as: Significantly Exceeds Expectations (100 to 83), Exceeds Expectations (82.9 to 70), Meets Expectations (69.9 to 58), Meets Few Expectations (57.9 to 48), and Fails to Meet Expectations (47.9 and below).

Milton High School’s graduation rate has been between 97% and 99% since 2016 and is consistently above the state average. Strong graduation rates indicate many things about the overall school environment, teachers, and students but they also tell a story about the community and quality of life.

The 2025 unemployment rate in the Janesville-Beloit MSA was significantly lower than the national rate of 4.2% and slightly higher than the Wisconsin rate of 3.2%. The average unemployment rate in the Janesville-Beloit MSA since 2023 has been 3.3%, signaling strength in the labor market.

The Civilian Labor Force is the number of people who are either working or actively looking for work. The labor force includes all people aged 16 and older who are classified as either employed or unemployed. While we were slightly down compared 2024, Civilian Labor Force has been fairly steady since 2017.

Compared to 2024, unique job postings were relatively stable with an increase of 71 postings. Trade, Transportation and Utilities, Education and Health Services and Manufacturing are Rock County’s biggest employment sectors. Together, these industries account for more than 60% of all jobs countywide.

This metric represents the average monthly number of unemployed people in the Janesville-Beloit MSA. The increase in the monthly average number of unemployed people is highlighted in red because the number of unemployed people grew in 2025, compared to 2024, and is not considered a positive trend.

The percentage of net new construction (NNC) is a valuation factor in determining the allowable tax levy. To determine the allowable tax levy increase, a city divides net new construction dollars by equalized assessed value (EAV) to calculate the percentage the levy may increase.

Median Household Income represents the midpoint of all household incomes, meaning half of households earn more and half earn less. It is often considered a more accurate measure of a financial well-being than average income, which can be skewed by a relatively small number of high-income earners.

Since the Great Recession, the number of new business applications in Rock County has been trending upward. When compared to 2015, new business applications have more than doubled. The Census Bureau measures business initiation activity by applications for an Employer Identification Number.

This metric represents a combination of addition/remodel permits (issued for improvements to existing properties) and commercial permits (issued for new construction projects). They are a strong leading economic indicator because they signal future business investment, job creation, and developer confidence.

Rock County’s overall health outcomes is an area that needs focused attention at the individual and community levels. This metric takes dozens of factors into account, including length and quality of life, health behaviors, clinical care, and physical environment.

This metric reflects the percentage of the adult population with a body mass index greater than or equal to 30. Adult obesity is a public health issue because it increases the risk of chronic health conditions, strains healthcare systems, and lowers quality of life.

Life Expectancy is the average number of years a person is statistically expected to live, based on current age, sex and death rates. Since we started tracking this metric on the Community Dashboard, Life Expectancy in Rock County has been on a downward trend.

The percentage of Rock County residents who self-report being in poor/fair health dropped to a low of 12% in 2023 but has steadily increased since then. Self-reported health status is a widely used measure of people’s health-related quality of life.

Between 2020 and 2025, the median home listing price (MHLP) in the Janesville-Beloit MSA increased 34.8%. The MHLP increase has significantly outpaced wages, widening the gap between what people earn and the housing options they can afford.

Rent or Mortgage Burdened Households spend 30-35% or more of their gross income on housing and utilities. Burdened households in Rock County reached a high of 34.7% in 2013. The percentage has fallen ever since but remains elevated.

This metric represents residential building permits issued for new construction projects. It is typically a leading indicator of future housing construction activity & provides insight into the overall health of the housing market & potential economic growth.

When residents were asked “How would you rate your satisfaction with the performance of the Janesville Police Department?” as part of the 2021 Janesville Community Survey, 78% responded "satisfied,” indicating a good level of community trust.

This metric is calculated by dividing the total number of city park acres by the population and multiplying by 1,000. The average American city has 10.4 acres of park land for every 1,000 residents. Janesville’s average is 4 times the national average.

The number of trees planted by year demonstrates the city’s commitment to measurable environmental management activities. This number fluctuates year-to-year because of a variety of factors but it’s a key element of maintaining Wisconsin’s Park Place.

This metric measures the total number of people participating in the City of Janesville's recreation programs. Although the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted recreation programing, participation levels are rebounding and have almost reached average numbers.

Direct Visitor Spending (DVS) is the total amount of money tourists spend while visiting or passing through on food, lodging, attractions, transportation & other services. It’s a significant economic impact driver and has surpassed pre-pandemic levels since 2022.

Spring elections are for nonpartisan offices like municipal boards, school boards, and county boards. Spring voter participation is typically lower compared to Fall elections and fluctuates depending on what is on the ballot. Fall elections are for partisan offices, those offices affiliated with political parties.

Fall elections are for partisan offices. Janesville saw record-high turnout in the 2020 November election, in part because the presidency was on the ballot. 2022 was a midterm election. Voter participation is calculated by dividing votes cast by the number of eligible voters and multiplying by 100.

The city’s goal is to resurface or reconstruct 12 miles of roadway per year. In 2022, they exceeded that goal and rehabbed 13.7 miles. In 2023, they fell slightly short and rehabbed 10.9 miles. Taken together, the city averaged 12.3 miles of rehabbed roadway per year between 2022 and 2023.

The PASER (Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating) scale is used to rate the condition of road pavement from 10 (excellent) to 1 (failed). PASER evaluations happen every other year and the next one is scheduled for 2025. In 2023, the statewide average PASER rating was 6.2 (reasonably good).

This metric contains 33 different jobs across the IT/Tech sector, with the largest portion concentrated in Transportation, Storage & Distribution Management. The IT/Tech sector is an important part of the overall economy that creates high-paying jobs and is a key driver of innovation.

This information is culled from earnings data from 24 IT/Tech job categories. The highest median earnings were for Web & Digital Interface Designers ($109,220), Computer Network Architects ($93,081), and Software Developers ($85,760). Software Developers is one of the top IT/Tech professions in Rock County.

The Index compiles 4 indicators: 1) % of adults becoming entrepreneurs in a given month; 2) % of new entrepreneurs driven by opportunity rather than necessity; 3) total # of jobs/capita created by startups in their 1st year; and 4) % of startups that remain in operation through their 1st year.

This figure measures the % of Wisconsin startups that are still active after one year. A higher survival rate indicates a more favorable business climate or ecosystem that enables new enterprises to thrive, adapt, and endure over time. This figure was stagnant from 2016-2020.

Blackhawk Technical College (BTC) serves approx. 8,000 students annually with a flexible delivery model that accommodates many part-time working students, in addition to traditional full-time students. The decrease from 2023 to 2024 reflects changes to the dual credit model and not total enrollment.

Blackhawk Technical College (BTC) graduates have seen their starting average wages grow steadily over the past 5 years, increasing 32% in that time period. BTC provides post-secondary degree programs and additional professional training that are key to skilling our workforce.

UW-Whitewater at Rock County’s Fall Enrollment has rebounded from a dip in 2022 and has been trending upward the past two years. This is an important satellite campus for the UW system that provides degrees in critical fields like nursing and engineering and adds value to higher education in Rock County.

The number of UW-Whitewater at Rock County degrees awarded has trended upward since 2019, when there was a significant drop. The school offers both Bachelor and Associate degrees that provide pathways into higher education for many local students that might not otherwise have access.