Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 11,393, settled in 1882.
For most people who can afford it, yes. River Forest grades A− overall, ranked 241st of 767 in Illinois. It is among the most walkable places in the country. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates and its schools outperform 95% of the state's. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $723K for a typical one and 8 times the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in River Forest, where Illinois’ towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. Only 42 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns score higher on civic life. River Forest is home to Dominican University.
Where River Forest beats most towns.
| Widest gap | River Forest | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8% | 15.9% |
1.9% of the town is conserved land, across 14 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far River Forest is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 6%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,539 in 1900, 11,717 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1882 and 7 maps from 1891 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around River Forest. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw14 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw10 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a yearWrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Art Institute of Chicago: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in River 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 River Forest.
River Forest has less food insecurity than most of Illinois and has household incomes well above the Illinois norm, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Illinois.
At 8 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $723K) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Melrose Park is next at $322K.
River Forest’s median rent is $1,554 a month. Typical home values rose 11% in the year to September 2026. 88% of River Forest households own their home.
| River Forest | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,554 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The trail density in River Forest is 2.8 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Thatcher Woods Preserve, 243 acres with 4.9 miles of trail. 7.1 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves.
| River Forest | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Thatcher Woods Preserve | 4.9 mi | 243 |
| 2. G.A.R. Woods Preserve | 0.8 mi | 62 |
| 3. Priory Park | 0.3 mi | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Illinois is food insecurity: 8% of its 8,814 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.9% statewide. Its A+ for health tops all 4 graded neighbors; Forest Park (A) comes closest.
25% of adults have obesity in River Forest. Among 767 Illinois towns, just 10 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than River Forest. 27% of adults have high blood pressure in River Forest.
| River Forest | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.9% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | River Forest | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8% | 15.9% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 10.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.4% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1987, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in River Forest.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
River Forest has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
26.8% of workers work from home, against 15.9% across Illinois.
Most working residents leave River Forest for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in River Forest grew to 4,143 in 2023, 364 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Chicago (46%), Oak Park (6%) and Naperville (1%).
| River Forest | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 27% | 11% | 11% |
| Median household income | $147,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 2.7% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
57 within 15 miles of the center of River Forest
About 12 of every 100 River Forest residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
2 colleges in town.
5 places in River Forest on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in River Forest.
Village in Illinois, United States
River Forest is a suburban village adjacent to Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 11,717. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University and Concordia University Chicago. The village is closely tied to the larger neighboring community of Oak Park. There are significant architectural designs located in River Forest such as the Winslow House by Frank Lloyd Wright. River Forest has a railroad station with service to Chicago on Metra's Union Pacific West Line.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with River Forest.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Proviso Township (C+) comes closest. Proviso Township next door grades lower for schools (C to River Forest’s A+) and higher for cost of living (C to D).
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Forest · River Forest Township | #241 | A− | D | C+ | A+ | A+ |
| Proviso Township | #512 | C+ | C | — | C | B+ |
| Maywood | #714 | D | C | — | C− | C− |
| Melrose Park | #670 | C− | C | C | C− | C+ |
| Forest Park | #593 | C | C− | D | C+ | A |
Proviso Township and Maywood report no FBI crime data of their own. River Forest Township and River Forest are one community, graded once. Compare River Forest with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. River Forest grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns and #241 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A+ for health, C+ for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
9 notable people were born here, including Sidney Hatch and Dani Tyler.
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