Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in River Forest Township, above both Illinois’ towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). River Forest Township’s trail density is 2.8 miles per square mile, where Illinois’ towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. The biggest place to walk is Thatcher Woods Preserve, 243 acres with 4.9 miles of trail. We don’t grade River Forest Township yet; the figures below are still real.
Where River Forest Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,539 in 1900, 11,717 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1882 and 7 maps from 1891 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around River Forest Township. 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 Township, 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 Township.
Its public schools are run by River Forest SD 90. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 625 | A+ |
| Trinity High School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 316 | – |
| Lincoln Elem SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 381 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in River Forest Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
River Forest Township 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
Most working residents leave River Forest Township for work: only 5% work in town. The median household income in River Forest Township is $147,000. Since 2013, River Forest Township has added 364 jobs, to 4,143 in 2023.
| River Forest Township | 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
25% of River Forest Township adults have obesity. River Forest Township beats the Illinois average on 23 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 27% of River Forest Township adults have high blood pressure.
| River Forest Township | 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 Township | 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
7.1 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves.
| 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
57 within 15 miles of the center of River Forest Township
About 12 of every 100 River Forest Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
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 Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Forest Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| River Forest | #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 isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare River Forest Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
We don’t grade River Forest Township yet; the figures below are still real.
_-_Chicago,_IL_-_June_2026.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}