Forest Park’s household incomes are lower than in 95% of U.S. towns
20.3% of residents are in poverty, next to 13.4% for Georgia as a whole. The two grades for Forest Park are C for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 4.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 22.2 in Atlanta.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Forest Park in brief
Forest Park draws workers from far and wide
The 12,753 jobs in Forest Park are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 19%; the other 78% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Forest Park is where the jobs are
Forest Park has 12,753 jobs, 2.0 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
51% of the jobs in Forest Park are in trade, transport and utilities, against 30% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
The jobs in Forest Park pay better than its residents’ jobs
62% of the jobs based in Forest Park pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 47% of the jobs Forest Park residents hold. 97% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Forest Park. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Where Forest Park’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Forest Park is better than 29% of U.S. towns, #153 of 263 in Georgia. Job access by car holds Forest Park’s grade up; household income pulls it down ($41,211, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Forest Park could be anywhere from C− to B−.
Where Forest Park’s workers come from
Where Forest Park clocks in
17% of workers
4% of workers
2% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Who leaves Forest Park for work, and who comes in
On a workday 6,156 residents head out to work, 388 work right here, and 12,365 people come in from elsewhere.
About 25,000 people are in Forest Park on a workday afternoon, 32% more than live here.
1.9 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
What the 12,753 jobs in Forest Park are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Forest Park, 2013 → 2023: 10,946 → 12,753. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Forest Park’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 29 minutes each way, about the GA average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Forest Park workers work from home, vs 16% across Georgia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,885 commuters (the 5% who work from home are left out). Across Georgia: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Near or far: the trip to work from Forest Park
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Good to walk, short on transit: Forest Park
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Forest Park is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns, #17 of 263 in Georgia. Both inputs place Forest Park near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 7,267 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 52% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 26% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 4.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 82% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 13.4% of Forest Park households have no vehicle (Georgia 5.9%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of Forest Park’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Forest Park is 1,651st among 2,023 U.S. towns of 13,000 to 26,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 168 | Holly Springs GA | 20,261 | $114K | 3.9% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 270 | Vinings GA | 14,390 | $95K | 6.2% | 2.2% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 349 | Flowery Branch GA | 13,110 | $104K | 6.1% | 2.4% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,649 | Hazelwood MO | 24,849 | $56K | 15.9% | 10.4% | 6% | C |
| 1,650 | Parkway CA | 15,397 | $64K | 22.5% | 9.3% | 3% | C |
| 1,651 | Forest Park GA | 19,168 | $41K | 20.3% | 5.7% | 6% | C |
| 1,652 | North Platte NE | 22,524 | $58K | 15.4% | 3.9% | 64% | C |
| 1,653 | Cohoes NY | 18,518 | $61K | 25.9% | 5.8% | 7% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 2,023 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Forest Park, the top three, the last and three more from Georgia.
Forest Park and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Morrow (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Forest Park workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Park | – | C | A | 29 min | $41,211 |
| Conley | under 2% | C− | B | 33 min | $44,056 |
| Lake City | 1% | B | A− | 25 min | $54,464 |
| Morrow | 2% | C+ | B | 26 min | $73,693 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Forest Park’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Forest Park: questions
What is the median household income in Forest Park?
$41,211 (±$3,495) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,353 across Georgia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Forest Park?
20.3%, against 13.4% across Georgia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Forest Park?
29 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Georgia and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Forest Park work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Atlanta (17%, 10 mi), College Park (4%, 6 mi), Sandy Springs (2%, 22 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Forest Park walkable?
Forest Park is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.5 out of 20, and 10% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Forest Park without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 13% of households have no car. 26% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Forest Park, from the people who make the trip.
More of Forest Park
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.