Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Park Forest is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 675th of 767 in Illinois, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: homes are within reach, about $160K for a typical one, or 1.8 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 79% of the state's. Park Forest is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns. 12% of the land in Park Forest is conserved, against 3.6% in Illinois’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 37 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score lower on history.
Where Park Forest beats most towns.
Where Park Forest’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Park Forest is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,138 in 1950, a peak of 30,638 in 1970, 21,687 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1955 and 4 maps from 1930 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Park Forest, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Park Forest.
Park Forest reports less crime than University Park or any other graded neighbor, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
3.1 miles of trail in 19 parks and preserves. Central Park, at 88 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. At 0.6 miles per square mile, Park Forest’s trail density is where Illinois’ towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Central Park | 1.3 mi | 88 |
| 2. Krotiak Park | 0.3 mi | 13 |
| 3. Keokuk Park | — | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 1.8 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $160K) costs less against local pay than in 85% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 5.4% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Park Forest is $1,365 a month.
| Park Forest | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 66% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,365 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jobs based here fell from 5,384 in 2013 to 3,430.
Most working residents leave Park Forest for work: only 3% work in town. 18% of residents live below the poverty line in Park Forest. Since 2013, Park Forest has lost 1,954 jobs, to 3,430 in 2023.
| Park Forest | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,187 U.S. towns with household incomes like Park Forest’s, it is less healthy than 55%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
43% of Park Forest adults sleep under 7 hours. Park Forest beats the Illinois average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 15% of Park Forest adults binge drink.
| Park Forest | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 13% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Park Forest | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.2% | 7.6% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14.7% | 17.8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.8% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Park Forest has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Crime runs higher than in most U.S. towns, but its C+ tops all 4 graded towns on its borders; University Park (C) comes closest.
Park Forest’s violent crime rate is 2.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Park Forest | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Park Forest.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Park Forest. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw22 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw28 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a yearSoldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Art Institute of Chicago: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0
6 within 15 miles of the center of Park Forest
About 6 of every 100 Park Forest residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
9 notable people were born in Park Forest.
Village in Illinois, United States
Park Forest is a village and south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small southern portion in Will County. The village was originally designed by Loebl Schlossman & Bennett as a planned community for veterans returning from World War II. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 21,687. Park Forest is bordered by Olympia Fields to the north, Chicago Heights to the east, University Park to the south, and Richton Park and Matteson to the west. The village has multiple public and private schools. In addition to the arts and culture scene including Tall Grass Arts Association and the Illinois Theatre Center, residents also have access to a myriad of…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Park Forest.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Forest | #675 | C− | C+ | C+ | C− | C |
| University Park | #705 | D | C | C | C | C |
| Matteson | #620 | C | C− | — | C− | B |
| Richton Park | #674 | C− | C | C | C− | B |
| Olympia Fields | #706 | D | D− | D | C− | B+ |
| Chicago Heights | #724 | D | B− | D− | C | C |
| Monee Township | #636 | C− | C− | — | C+ | C+ |
Matteson and Monee Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Park Forest with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Park Forest grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #675 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C for health, C+ for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
9 notable people were born here, including Craig Hodges and Mark Derwin.
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