River Forest is home to 11,992 people in Illinois. This is an unusually credentialed place: 73% of adults have a four-year degree. That is roughly 76% ahead of the Illinois median. Owners hold 88% of the housing stock. The typical home is worth $687,300, having more than doubled since 2000. That puts it in the top 2% of US cities for household income.
At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $146,786, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.0
US median: 38.9
More educated
73% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about River Forest
What changed most since 1990
Median home value (2024 dollars)$615,858 → $687,300(+12%)US over the same years: +67%
Hispanic share2.4% → 6.9%(+4.5 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
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)18.8%(53)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)8.9%(25)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era62.1%(175)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War0%(0)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 282 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
River Forest, decade by decade
River Forest 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
11,669
$149,930
$615,858
59.5%
16.8
2000
11,635
$162,645
$624,099
69.7%
30.5
2010
11,172
$167,634
$889,324
76.0%
41.7
2020
11,717
$151,854
$733,162
80.1%
59.6
2024
11,992
$146,786
$687,300
72.9%
47.7
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.
