Photo: David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA · CC BY 2.0Park Forest spent more per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Park Forest’s village government spent $35.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,691 per resident. Water and other utilities ($6.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Park Forest is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$1,589 per resident in 2022: more than 80% of them
Park Forest’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,589 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,094, and the middle half spent $794–$1,484. Park Forest spent more than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.2 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Park Forest itself left out).
About $1,691 per resident a year, or $4.63 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Park Forest reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,589 · 2024: $1,691.
full-time in March 2025, up from 157 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,608 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 4.00% of the home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Park Forest’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Park Forest’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Park Forest →
Who’s in charge in Park Forest
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Park Forest’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on villageofparkforest.net ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 130 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (20,954).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Rich Township High School District 227
Park Forest’s high school district, shared with Matteson, Richton Park, University Park, Olympia Fields, Rich Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $38,455 per pupil, $18,143 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Illinois districts overall: 52% local, 38% state, 10% federal.
Park Forest School District 163 · $26,613 per pupil
Crete-Monee Community Unit School District 201-U · $23,596 per pupil
Matteson Elementary School District 162 · $20,488 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Park Forest’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Park Forest alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cook County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat68.9%1,447,821 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican27.8%583,852 votesOthers: 3.3% (70,005 votes).
Most votes in Cook County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
85% of Park Forest lies in Cook County; the rest in Will County. Every 2024 race in Cook County is on the county’s page.
Cook County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Park Forest.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: villageofparkforest.net ↗
- 2Illinois HousePark Forest is split between 2 districts
- 3Illinois SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Park Forest compares with the towns next door
Park Forest spent $1,589 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $90 to $1,589. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Monee Township | $90 | $7,104 |
| Olympia Fields | $1,589 | $9,686 |
| University Park | estimate | $4,904 |
| Matteson | estimate | $6,829 |
| Richton Park | estimate | $5,897 |
| Chicago Heights | estimate | $4,248 |
| Park Forest | $1,589 | $4,608 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Park Forest’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Park Forest’s government
How much does Park Forest spend per resident?
About $1,691 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,589 was more than 80% of 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Park Forest?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,608 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 4.00% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see villageofparkforest.net.
Who runs Park Forest’s government?
See villageofparkforest.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Park Forest yet.
How did Park Forest vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Park Forest alone. Cook County, where 85% of Park Forest lies, voted Harris 68.9%, Trump 27.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Park Forest?
161 full-time and 60 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.4M (about $17.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Park Forest in the state legislature?
Park Forest is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 40 (Patrick Joyce). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Park Forest’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →