Photo: David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA · CC BY 2.0At 8.7%, unemployment in Park Forest is higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
8% of workers have no commute at all, where Illinois as a whole has 16%. The two grades for Park Forest are C for jobs and income and A for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 3.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 36.9 in Chicago.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Park Forest
Nearly all the work in Park Forest is services
96% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 2% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
Park Forest’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Park Forest is Chicago, 25 miles away as the crow flies. 25% of working residents (2,171) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
The jobs in Park Forest pay better than its residents’ jobs
80% of the jobs based in Park Forest pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 58% of the jobs Park Forest residents hold. 92% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Park Forest. The jobs ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Park Forest than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Park Forest fell from 5,384 in 2013 to 3,430 in 2023, −36%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. 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.
The figures behind Park Forest’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Park Forest is better than 31% of U.S. towns, #627 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Park Forest’s grade up (ahead of 90% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Park Forest could be anywhere from C− to B−.
Most jobs in Park Forest are in services
3,430 jobs are based in Park Forest.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Park Forest, 2013 → 2023: 5,384 → 3,430. 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 Park Forest’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Park Forest
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.
A workday in Park Forest: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 8,403 residents head out to work, 262 work right here, and 3,168 people come in from elsewhere.
About 16,000 people are in Park Forest on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.
0.40 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute 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.
25% of working residents work in Chicago
Where Park Forest clocks in
25% of workers
3% of workers
3% 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.
About 32 minutes to work from Park Forest
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Park Forest workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,459 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across Illinois: 78% drive alone, 7% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Park Forest
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 9,159 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 72% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 17% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 78% 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). 5.7% of Park Forest households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of Park Forest’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,705 U.S. towns of 15,000 to 28,000, Park Forest comes 1,388th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Wolf Trap VA | 15,858 | $250K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | Deerfield IL | 19,642 | $182K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | La Grange IL | 15,935 | $160K | 4.6% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,386 | Red Wing MN | 16,805 | $67K | 13.8% | 4.9% | 46% | C |
| 1,387 | Madison Township IN | 18,077 | $61K | 14.2% | 4.0% | 46% | C |
| 1,388 | Park Forest IL | 21,079 | $61K | 17.6% | 8.7% | 3% | C |
| 1,389 | Wayne MI | 17,065 | $59K | 15.7% | 10.3% | 5% | C |
| 1,390 | Henry Township IN | 22,005 | $58K | 17.0% | 4.4% | 33% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 1,705 | 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 Park Forest, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Bordering towns draw 10% of Park Forest’s workers
The biggest share goes to Matteson (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Park Forest workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Forest | – | C | A | 32 min | $61,072 |
| University Park | 2% | C+ | A− | 39 min | $73,844 |
| Matteson | 3% | B | A− | 34 min | $95,457 |
| Richton Park | under 2% | C+ | A− | 33 min | $64,554 |
| Olympia Fields | 2% | B+ | A+ | 43 min | $123,875 |
| Chicago Heights | 3% | C− | A | 30 min | $54,798 |
| Monee Township | under 2% | B− | B | 36 min | $84,953 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Park Forest’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 Park Forest: questions
What is the median household income in Park Forest?
$61,072 (±$3,921) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Park Forest?
17.6%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Park Forest?
32 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Park Forest work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (25%, 25 mi), Matteson (3%, 4 mi), Chicago Heights (3%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Park Forest walkable?
Park Forest is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.1 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Park Forest without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 17% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Park Forest, from the people who make the trip.
More of Park Forest
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.