Photo: DFHoulihan · CC BY-SA 4.0Work means Chicago for about half of River Forest Township’s working residents
27% of workers have no commute at all, against 16% across Illinois. Only 5% work in River Forest Township; the top destination outside it is Chicago (46%, 8 miles). Commuters spend 33 minutes getting to work on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set River Forest Township apart
River Forest Township trades workers with the towns around it
River Forest Township has about as many jobs (4,143) as working residents (4,890), but they are mostly different people: 4,649 residents leave for work each day while 3,902 people come in. Only 6% of the jobs in River Forest Township are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Nearly half of River Forest Township works in Chicago
2,225 working residents, 46%, have their main job in Chicago, 8 miles away. That’s 9 times as many as work in River Forest Township itself. The commute map ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of River Forest Township’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 33 minutes, longer than the Illinois average of 28. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside River Forest Township
73% of River Forest Township residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 48% of the jobs based in River Forest Township pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
A lot of River Forest Township works from home
27% of River Forest Township workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. Time on the road ↓
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.
River Forest Township by day and by night
On a workday 4,649 residents head out to work, 241 work right here, and 3,902 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.85 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting out of River Forest Township: the destinations
Where River Forest Township clocks in
46% of workers
6% of workers
5% 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.
River Forest Township’s commute takes about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of River Forest Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,922 commuters (the 27% 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.
Inside River Forest Township’s 4,143 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in River Forest Township, 2013 → 2023: 3,779 → 4,143. 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 River Forest Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from River Forest Township
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.
The towns around River Forest Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | River Forest Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Forest Township | – | — | — | 33 min | $146,786 |
| River Forest | 5% | A | A+ | 33 min | $146,786 |
| Proviso Township | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 29 min | $82,097 |
| Maywood | 1% | C+ | A+ | 34 min | $68,815 |
| Melrose Park | 1% | B− | A | 27 min | $66,189 |
| Forest Park | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 27 min | $77,221 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to River Forest. Darker towns draw more of River Forest Township’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 River Forest Township: questions
What is the median household income in River Forest Township?
$146,786 (±$32,540) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in River Forest Township?
2.7%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from River Forest Township?
33 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 27% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in River Forest Township work?
5% work in town.
Can you get around River Forest Township without a car?
27% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from River Forest Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of River Forest Township
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.