Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
River Grove's standout: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades B−, ranked 475th of 767 in Illinois. It also does better than most on health: it is healthier than 67% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 68% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $324K, 3.6 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. River Grove’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, above both the Illinois town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). River Grove is home to Triton College. Only 85 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns score lower on civic life.
Where River Grove beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far River Grove is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 287 in 1890, 10,612 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 7 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around River Grove. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw16 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
6 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate ArenaWrigley 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 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in River Grove, 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 Grove.
River Grove is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Chicago and other neighbors, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
In the comparison, River Grove comes below both Illinois’ towns (3.7%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). 3.9 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Jerome Huppert Woods Preserve, at 203 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jerome Huppert Woods Preserve | 1.4 mi | 203 |
| 2. Fullerton Woods Preserve | 0.5 mi | 81 |
| 3. Triton Grounds | 0.3 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 10,511 U.S. towns with household incomes like River Grove’s, it is healthier than 84%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of adults binge drink in River Grove. River Grove beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 13% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in River Grove.
| River Grove | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | River Grove | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with high blood pressure | 29.9% | 33% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.8% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
River Grove has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
River Grove has about as many jobs (4,755) as working residents, but only 260 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave River Grove for work: only 5% work in town. River Grove’s average trip to work is 31 minutes. Since 2013, River Grove has added 887 jobs, to 4,755 in 2023.
| River Grove | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 14% | 11% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
56% of River Grove households own their home. Typical home values rose 8.8% in the year to September 2026.
| River Grove | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,214 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
115 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 30 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 115 flood insurance claims have been paid out in River Grove.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The property crime rate in River Grove is 12 per 1,000 residents.
| River Grove | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
48 within 15 miles of the center of River Grove
About 5 of every 100 River Grove residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
0.3% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
Village in Illinois, United States
River Grove is a village in Leyden Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,612 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with River Grove.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Grove | #475 | B− | C+ | B− | C | B+ |
| Elmwood Park | #404 | B | C− | B | B− | A− |
| Melrose Park | #670 | C− | C | C | C− | C+ |
| Franklin Park | #511 | C+ | C | B− | C+ | B |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
River Grove grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #475 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B+ for health, B− for safety and C for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
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