Rapids City, Illinois

Village in Rock Island County · population 964 (2020 Census)

Median home: $203,700
Household income: $83,125
Jan low / Jul high: 14° / 85°
Snow a year: 32 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 44
Median age: 49.9

Rapids City is a village of 964 people in Rock Island County, Illinois. The median home is worth $203,700, above the typical Illinois town ($156,600). It ranks easier by car than 82% of Illinois towns, quieter than 72% of Illinois towns.

How Rapids City ranks

Percentile among Illinois towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Illinois towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Rapids City is worth $203,700, above the typical Illinois town ($156,600). Homes cost about 2.5 times the median household income of $83,125, which is more affordable than 38% of Illinois towns. 96.1% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Illinois towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Rapids City	Typical Illinois town
Median home value	$203,700	$156,600
Median rent	—	$960
Median household income	$83,125	$72,500
Home value ÷ income	2.5×	2.2×
Homeownership	96.1%	76.6%
Median year built	1972	1967
Seasonal / vacation homes	2.3%	—

Who lives in Rapids City

People	Rapids City	Typical Illinois town
Median age	49.9	40.4
Age 65 and over	28.6%	18.7%
Under 18	17.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.2%	21.8%
Below the poverty line	3.3%	9.9%
Veterans	8.3%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.2%	—
Work from home	8.3%	8.9%
Average commute	21.1 min	26.1 min
Homes with broadband	88.4%	90.4%

Weather in Rapids City

July highs average 85.0°F and January lows 14.1°F. About 37.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 31.8 inches of snow (typical Illinois town: 24.2 in). Expect about 18 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 126 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Le Claire L&D 14 station (3.2 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

44 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Rapids City since 1950, compared with 27 for the typical Illinois town. 9 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on March 13, 1990 about 2.8 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 11, 2025.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 85 times; the largest was 2.75 inches on March 13, 1990.

Severe weather in Rock Island County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Rock Island County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 7 deaths recorded.

Rock Island County has been included in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, tornado, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
March 26, 2020	Biological	DR-4489: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3435: Covid-19
September 19, 2019	Flood	DR-4461: Severe Storms And Flooding
May 10, 2013	Flood	DR-4116: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
March 17, 2011	Snowstorm	DR-1960: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm

Jobs and pay in Rock Island County

Rock Island County had 70,119 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $72,332 a year. Unemployment was 5.1% in 2023; in Rapids City itself the ACS puts it at 6.3%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Rapids City

Le Claire, IA
2.3 mi · 4,710 people · home $318,700
Port Byron, IL
3.2 mi · 1,668 people · home $278,200
Hampton, IL
3.6 mi · 1,779 people · home $184,900
East Moline, IL
4.8 mi · 21,374 people · home $134,600
Carbon Cliff, IL
6.2 mi · 1,846 people · home $134,600
Princeton, IA
6.3 mi · 923 people · home $266,200
Silvis, IL
6.7 mi · 8,003 people · home $161,600
Cordova, IL
6.9 mi · 671 people · home $181,300

Rapids City questions

Is Rapids City, Illinois a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Rapids City scores better for retirees than 54% of Illinois towns and quieter than 72%. 28.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 49.9).

How much does a house cost in Rapids City?

The median owner-occupied home in Rapids City is valued at $203,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $83,125, so homes cost about 2.5 times income. Median rent is — a month.

What is the weather like in Rapids City?

July highs average 85.0°F and January lows 14.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 37.1 inches of precipitation a year and 31.8 inches of snow.

Does Rapids City get tornadoes?

44 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Rapids City since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on March 13, 1990. The typical Illinois town has had 27.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Rapids City's Census boundary (GEOID 1762822). Comparisons use the median of Illinois towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.