ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) -- Rockford's housing market continues to reach new ground, hitting its highest prices since the recession.

Rockford Area Realtors say in September, the average home sold in Rockford is just over $134,000, about $2,000 less than the city's record set back in December of 2008. More than 1,300 homes hit the market last month with just under 400 being sold. Rockford Area Realtors say the average home took less than four months to sell.

A new study shows that Rockford is ranked in the top 7% of most affordable homes in the country. City leaders say this affordable housing market is bringing benefits to the area.

The average Rockford median home price in 2017 was $98,000, while nationally it was $253,000 according to the Rockford Area Realtors' September housing stats. That's over 60% lower than the national average.

The average house payment in Rockford is $802 per month, which is 44% less than the national average. City leaders say on average, an individual in Rockford spends under 24% of their annual income on their home compared to 30% nationally. That means Rockford home buyers are spending less on their home and more for other needs.

"He said if you're a manufacturer, you want to locate in cities like Rockford because you're employees can afford to buy homes and what that does is stabilizes your work force. It also it creates better income for the city with different services and such things like that," says Rockford Area Realtor’s CEO, Steve Bois.

"I think if you couple the housing market with the amenities that the City of Rockford and our surrounding communities have to offer, you find out really quickly that yeah, we're like a lot of metropolitan cities, we certainly have our challenges, but the opportunities to raise a family and to come and make an impact in a city, we live in a pretty phenomenal place," says Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara.

Mayor McNamara says having more homeowners instead of renters can help keep the community safer because they are more likely to call in suspicious behavior and taken better care of their property.

Rockford Area Relators say the economy of Winnebago County is important to surrounding counties as well because people may live in a different county, but work in the Forest City.