River Forest is a medium-sized village located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 11,227 people and two associated neighborhoods, River Forest is the 201st largest community in Illinois. River Forest has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic villages.

River Forest home prices are not only among the most expensive in Illinois, but River Forest real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that River Forest has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, River Forest is also a village of artists. River Forest has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape River Forest’s character.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 23.77% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

River Forest is also a college town, where lots of students live while attending area colleges. Because of the high percentage of people living in River Forest enrolled in college, River Forest has a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards the needs and activities of students.

Because of many things, River Forest is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making River Forest a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The village’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, River Forest has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, River Forest’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

In River Forest, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 32.16 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average. One bright side is that local public transit is widely used, so it may be an option to avoid the headache of driving in the heavy traffic by leaving the car at home and taking transit. In addition, the village is also quite pedestrian-friendly, because many neighborhoods are very dense and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot.

Even though River Forest is a smaller village, it has many people who hop on public transportation – mostly the subway for their daily commute to work. Typically, these people are commuting to good jobs in the surrounding cities.

If knowledge is power, River Forest is a pretty powerful place. 73.35% of the adults in River Forest have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in River Forest in 2022 was $92,547, which is wealthy relative to Illinois and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $370,188 for a family of four.

River Forest is a very ethnically-diverse village. The people who call River Forest home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of River Forest residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in River Forest include Irish, German, Italian, English, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in River Forest is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.