Moline, IL — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Illinois·Moline

Rock Island County · Davenport-Moline-Rock Island · population 42,442

Affordability
Moline, IL
Image: Wikipedia · Moline, Illinois
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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64
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Moline stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 5.3% in the last year.

Median home $150,933
1-year +5.3%
5-yr CAGR +3.6%
vs 5-yr peak -0.4%
Population -0.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-03$151k$99k$118k$138k$158k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,003/mo$0$540$1,081202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent11011880100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 12.5
Buy

At a 12.5 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Moline on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 12.5 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
76 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
57 · w22%
Distance from peak
88 · w18%
Population growth
40 · w16%
Rent YoY
65 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
49 · w10%
Long thesis

Moline offers a $150,933 median home with +3.6% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.

Short thesis

Moline's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Moline

Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, with an estimated population of 42,442. It anchors the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island metro area. The median home value in Moline is $150,933 as of 2026-04, up 5.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Moline average $1,003 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+2.9%). The composite momentum score is 64 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $150,933 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Quiet strength: +5.3% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently -0.4% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

●Flat or shrinking population: -0.3% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Moline (Wikipedia)

Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in the 2020 census, it is the largest city in Rock Island County and the ninth-most populous in Illinois outside the Chicago metropolitan area. Moline is one of the Quad Cities at the confluence of the Rock and Mississippi rivers, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities metropolitan area had a population of approximately 380,000 as of 2023.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Rock Island County right now.

NWS active alerts (IL)Illinois Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Rock Island County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Moline

15 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Walton Hills$367,674+3.4%
2Homewood$254,865+6.7%
3Greater Prospect$207,685+10.1%
4Heritage$177,700+12.8%
5Molette$163,813+8.2%
6Villa Park$159,976+1.1%
7Karsten's Park/City Line$154,220+2.8%
8Greater Tartan Oaks$142,682+14.4%
9Forest Hill$141,080+6.1%
10Stewartville$140,853+3.1%
11Wheelock/Veile$139,140+1.6%
12Park Hill$122,492+8.5%
13Willard/Wharton$112,842+3.1%
14Old Towne$110,310+5.0%
15Overlook$107,486+5.6%

Cities like Moline

Quincy, IL66 · RisingAlton, IL65 · RisingMaywood, IL71 · RisingBerwyn, IL69 · Rising

Run the numbers for Moline

ToolCan I afford Moline?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Moline rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Moline to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolMoline cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
33° / 18°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
85° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
189
~52% of year
Annual precip
38″ rain
22″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Moline listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
71%
Humid climate
Median household income
$78,400
Illinois state median
Top industries (state-level)
FinanceManufacturingHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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