Photo: DFHoulihan · CC BY-SA 4.0River Forest has higher household incomes than 95% of U.S. towns
Home is the office for 27% of workers, where Illinois as a whole has 16%. The poverty rate is 2.7%, against 11.8% across Illinois. Jobs and income earn River Forest A; getting around on foot earns it A+.
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 River Forest
River Forest trades workers with the towns around it
River Forest 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 are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Nearly half of River Forest 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 itself. The commute map ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of River Forest’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
73% of River Forest 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 pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
A lot of River Forest works from home
27% of River Forest 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’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, River Forest is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #166 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds River Forest’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (8.1%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, River Forest could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Who works in River Forest, and who works elsewhere
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.
46% of working residents work in Chicago
Where River Forest clocks in
46% of workers
6% of workers
1% 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’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 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.
Jobs in River Forest: what the 4,143 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in River Forest, 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’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far River Forest’s workers travel
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.
River Forest is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, River Forest is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #6 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place River Forest near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 5,358 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 39% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 10.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 94% 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). 5.1% of River Forest households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 27% of River Forest’s commuters take a bus or train.
River Forest next to U.S. towns of 8,000 to 15,000: 561st of 2,507 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Long Grove IL | 8,343 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | Riverside IL | 8,939 | $154K | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 559 | Westphalia MD | 13,228 | $164K | 6.1% | 5.2% | 1% | A |
| 560 | Halawa HI | 14,385 | $110K | 9.3% | 2.6% | 3% | A |
| 561 | River Forest IL | 11,393 | $147K | 2.7% | 8.1% | 5% | A |
| 562 | Kronenwetter WI | 8,413 | $115K | 6.7% | 1.2% | 3% | A |
| 563 | Champaign Township IL | 11,377 | $100K | 5.8% | 2.2% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,507 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 22% | 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 River Forest, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
River Forest and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Maywood (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | River Forest workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Forest | – | A | A+ | 33 min | $146,786 |
| River Forest Township | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| 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. River Forest Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of River 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 River Forest: questions
What is the median household income in River Forest?
$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?
2.7%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from River Forest?
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 work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (46%, 8 mi), Oak Park (6%, 2 mi), Naperville (1%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is River Forest walkable?
River Forest is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.0 out of 20, and 37% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around River Forest without a car?
27% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 39% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from River Forest, from the people who make the trip.
More of River 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.