Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety14#13,400/15,637
Economy87#2,035/15,631
Housing1#14,888/14,977
Health88#1,808/15,609
Healthcare81#3,050/15,650
Environment7#14,286/15,453
Education69#4,925/15,649
Infrastructure93#1,154/15,650
Community69#4,859/15,651
Leisure & amenities74#4,027/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where River Forest, Illinois ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Cook County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Public transit commuters · high19.7%
100/100Illinois 5.8%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Distance to an emergency room · low2.1 mi
99/100Illinois 4.0 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCook County value
Child poverty rate · low1.1%
99/100Illinois 14.1%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Physical inactivity · low13.9%
97/100Illinois 23.6%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Frequent mental distress · low13.3%
97/100Illinois 18.7%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Bachelor's degree or higher · high72.9%
97/100Illinois 37.8%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.547
1/100Illinois 0.481United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Rent as share of income · high37.8%
5/100Illinois 29.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Effective property tax rate · high2.15%
5/100Illinois 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Days with unhealthy air · high6.8%
6/100Illinois 4.2%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCook County value
Homicide rate · high10.8 /100k
7/100Illinois 6.2 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCook County value
Rent-burdened households · high88.9%
8/100Illinois 47.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
10,970 (2015-2019) → 11,992 (2020-2024)
+9.3%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
36.5% (2015-2019) → 88.9% (2020-2024)
+52 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
23.9% (2015-2019) → 37.8% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
80.4% (2015-2019) → 72.9% (2020-2024)
−7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Unemployment rateWorsening
2.2% (2015-2019) → 8.1% (2020-2024)
+5.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.4 /1k (2021) → 0.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−22%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, River Forest, Illinois improved on 0 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined3

Rent burden+52 points36.5% → 88.9%
Unemployment+5.8 points2.2% → 8.1%
Rent / income+14 points23.9% → 37.8%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of River Forest, Illinois between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	33.1 min2015-2019	32.5 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Within the margin of error	56%
Bachelor's degree or higher	80.4%2015-2019	72.9%2020-2024	−7.6 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Broadband subscriptions	93.7%2015-2019	95.9%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Effective property tax rate	2.12%2015-2019	2.15%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	12%
High school diploma or higher	99.1%2015-2019	96.9%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Home price to income ratio	4.6×2015-2019	4.7×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	75%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5222015-2019	0.5472020-2024	+0.024	Within the margin of error	31%
Median household income	$129,9282015-2019	$146,7862020-2024	+13%	Within the margin of error	20%
Public transit commuters	20.7%2015-2019	19.7%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Rent as share of income	23.9%2015-2019	37.8%2020-2024	+14 points	Declined	5%
Rent-burdened households	36.5%2015-2019	88.9%2020-2024	+52 points	Declined	0%
Unemployment rate	2.2%2015-2019	8.1%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Declined	3%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	2.1%2015-2019	3.4%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	31%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like River Forest, Illinois five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of River Forest, Illinois in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, River Forest, Illinois itself moved −17.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

11,992 residents (±46)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 30–39 men (+3.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

11,992 residents (±46)

River Forest, Illinois
Illinois share

White78%9,331
Black4.9%†586
Hispanic or Latino6.9%†825
Asian5.5%†659
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%†3
Other or two or more races4.9%†588

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

7,761 residents (±274)

River Forest, Illinois
Illinois share

No high school diploma3.1%†244
High school or GED7.9%†614
Some college9.6%747
Associate degree6.5%†501
Bachelor's degree28%2,142
Graduate degree45%3,513

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bachelor's degree (−11.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

4,460 households (±256)

River Forest, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $25k6.7%†301
$25k–50k18%†803
$50k–75k11%†507
$75k–100k5.4%†242
$100k–150k9.2%†411
$150k–200k8.4%†375
$200k or more41%1,821

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (+11.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

4,460 households (±256)

River Forest, Illinois
Illinois share

Own88%3,911
Rent12%†549

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

476 households (±323)

River Forest, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $7507.4%†35
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50038%†181

Home values

3,911 homes (±262)

River Forest, Illinois
Illinois share

Under $150k5.9%†231
$150k–250k9.5%†371
$250k–400k11%†437

Age of homes

4,680 homes (±255)

River Forest, Illinois
Illinois share

2010 or later1.2%†55
2000–20097.7%†360
1980–19992.9%†134

Size of homes

4,680 homes (±255)

River Forest, Illinois
Illinois share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom12%†541
2 bedrooms26%1,195

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

5,358 workers (±373)

River Forest, Illinois
Illinois share

Drive alone42%2,241
Carpool4.1%†217
Public transit20%1,055
Walk5.8%†311
Bike1.4%†75
Work from home27%1,436
Other0.4%†23

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+13.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

3,922 workers (±420)

River Forest, Illinois
Illinois share

Under 15 min15%†589
15–29 min30%†1,185
30–44 min25%968

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Cook County, the county holding most of River Forest's residents.

Cook County has 134,513 employer establishments, 262 for every 10,000 residents (1.05× the US rate of 248; 1.02× Illinois's), with 2,492,328 paid employees at an average annual pay of $83,113. The Census Bureau also counts 578,139 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 134,513; 578,139 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 262; US 248 · Illinois 255
Paid employees: 2,492,328
Average annual pay: $83,113; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Cook County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	12,255	23.8	1.14×About typical	120,830	$73,746	26,012
Restaurants and other eating places	10,283	20	1.09×About typical	175,761	$29,528	3,209
Truck transportation	6,896	13.4	2.65×More than typical	35,576	$58,890	37,659
Specialty trade contractors	6,308	12.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	51,795	$91,576	24,041
Lessors of real estate	6,106	11.9	0.96×About typical	36,481	$90,793	47,456
Limited-service restaurants	4,656	9.1	1.13×About typical	71,531	$23,650	1,099
Management, scientific and technical consulting	4,501	8.8	1.30×More than typical	78,036	$144,574	20,774
Full-service restaurants	4,330	8.4	1.10×About typical	87,914	$35,009	1,468
Legal services	4,152	8.1	1.50×More than typical	39,614	$166,701	6,046
Construction of buildings	4,132	8	1.06×About typical	19,598	$98,127	22,202
Offices of other health practitioners	4,034	7.8	1.29×More than typical	22,664	$51,319	10,130
Offices of physicians	3,409	6.6	1.02×About typical	42,167	$110,011	4,357

Rank places for an industry Open Cook County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 5,142,853 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in River Forest, Illinois: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

139.6KFY2017
14.5KFY2018
325.1KFY2020
384.6KFY2021
414.2KFY2022
410.1KFY2023
422.4KFY2024
211.2KFY2025

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in River Forest, Illinois, so they do not add up across cities.

River Forest, Illinois's figures are part of those of Cook County, IL ($4B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: River Forest is mostly in Cook County.

See federal money in Cook County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

River Forest, Illinois is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).