Forest Park is home to 13,943 people in Illinois. This is an unusually credentialed place: 52% of adults have a four-year degree. Density works out to 5,805 people per square mile. Owners hold 53% of the housing stock. The typical home is worth $304,700, having more than doubled since 2000. The population has fallen 11% since 2000.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $77,221, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.0
US median: 38.9
More educated
52% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 27%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Forest Park
What changed most since 1990
Black share13.0% → 24.0%(+11.0 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
Homes owned by their occupants41.9% → 52.8%(+10.9 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
Median home value (2024 dollars)$221,766 → $304,700(+37%)US over the same years: +67%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)11.6%(77)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)7.7%(51)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era42.2%(280)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War11.3%(75)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II2.6%(17)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 664 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Forest Park, decade by decade
Forest Park population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
14,918
$73,375
$221,766
30.5%
53.6
2000
15,688
$80,340
$240,276
36.3%
77.9
2010
14,167
$74,489
$322,959
38.8%
79.7
2020
14,339
$85,655
$298,040
51.7%
83.5
2024
13,943
$77,221
$304,700
51.5%
82.2
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
