Rockford was platted in 1857, and named for a nearby rocky ford on the Crow River. A post office has been in operation at Rockford since 1856. Rockford was incorporated in 1881.
The main school district is Rockford Public Schools. They include an elementary school a middle school and a high school. The elementary focuses mainly on an arts program, while the middle and high schools put more of an emphasis on technology. The high school has, for the past four years, scored higher than the state average in mathematics. Originally, the Rockford School District was established by the Wright county commissioners on September 6, 1856 and the first school house was constructed by 1860. During the 1960s the school underwent redistricting that gave its current designation as Independent School District # 883.
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,316 people, 1,622 households, and 1,147 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 1,693 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 94.1% White, 1.0% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population. There were 1,622 households of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.3% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age in the city was 34.7 years. 28.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.3% were from 25 to 44; 26% were from 45 to 64; and 6.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,484 people, 1,296 households, and 929 families living in the city. The population density was 2,021.2 people per square mile. There were 1,333 housing units at an average density of 773.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 97.56% White, 0.40% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population. 38.1% were of German, 15.0% Norwegian, 8.4% Irish and 6.1% Swedish ancestry. There were 1,296 households out of which 44.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.17. In the city, the population was spread out with 31.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 39.0% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $51,349, and the median income for a family was $56,607. Males had a median income of $37,112 versus $29,395 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,675. About 6.5% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.
