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Place dossier plate
SheetIL-FOREST-PARK-IL · Forest Park, IL 14,000 pop · income 63rd pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Forest Park
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Forest Park on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Greenwood · lowest
34,659
Greenwood · lowest
34,659 median HH income
28.5% of the leader · rank #1
Los Chaves · near
81,320
Los Chaves · near
81,320 median HH income
67.0% of the leader · rank #2
Forest Park · this city
81,323
Forest Park · this city
81,323 median HH income
67.0% of the leader · rank #3
Redfield · near
81,328
Redfield · near
81,328 median HH income
67.0% of the leader · rank #4
Ross · near
81,328
Ross · near
81,328 median HH income
67.0% of the leader · rank #5
Assaria · near
81,333
Assaria · near
81,333 median HH income
67.0% of the leader · rank #6
Channahon · highest
121,458
Channahon · highest
121,458 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Forest Park on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 14,000.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Forest Park - the verdict
Nationally, Forest Park sits in the 63rd percentile for household income and the 13th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
63rd
percentile, household income
64th
percentile, home value
18th
percentile, median rent
13th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Forest Park, IL
14,000 people live in Forest Park, Illinois - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Forest Park brings in $81,323 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.9%. Forest Park's housing stock carries a median value of $293,800, and the median resident age is 40.0 years. About 49.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 64.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 14 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Low Activity). Forest Park's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 3246.7 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, above the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Illinois tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: the state registers 100.0 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,063 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Illinois's average monthly utility costs around $240 (state average). The average commute for Forest Park workers runs 23.5 minutes, with 54.9% driving alone and 19.0% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 54.5 out of 100 (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Forest Park's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to reported crime to population change to schools and households to housing and income to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Forest Park, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Forest Park?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 54.9%. The reported mean trip to work is 23.5 minutes.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Forest Park?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3246.7 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 42% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Is Forest Park growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -450 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -3.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 14 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Which cities make useful reference points for Forest Park?
Within Illinois, the closest population matches are Wauconda (14,010 residents, $112,438 income); Beach Park (13,988 residents, $83,069 income); Midlothian (14,024 residents, $67,872 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Pierre, SD (14,008 residents); Sharonville, OH (13,989 residents); Greenwood, MS (13,983 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Forest Park?
The NCES join finds 5 public schools within the city match. 49.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
5
Bachelor's degree+
49.8%
Poverty estimate
4.9%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
How far does income reach against housing in Forest Park?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Household income
$81,323
Home value
$293,800
Value / income
3.6×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Above median income · poverty 4.9% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
100.0 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Illinois average
C-
City profile score · Forest Park, IL
53/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A-
49.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate B-
4.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income C+
$81,323
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Cost of living D
100.0 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime F
416 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Forest Park profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 84/100 (A-) · 49.8%
Poverty rate: 66/100 (B-) · 4.9%
Household income: 61/100 (C+) · $81,323
Cost of living: 40/100 (D) · 100.0 index
Violent crime: 21/100 (F) · 416 /100k
Where Forest Park sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Forest Park's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Forest Park highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Forest Park, IL (this city): home $293,800, crime 3,247/100k
Pierre, SD : home $219,500, crime 2,496/100k
Sharonville, OH : home $207,900, crime 2,201/100k
Midlothian, IL : home $200,300, crime 1,765/100k
Wood Dale, IL : home $303,400, crime 1,191/100k
Shiloh, IL : home $276,900, crime 809/100k
Channahon, IL : home $298,000, crime 571/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Forest Park compare to other US cities?
Here's how Forest Park stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income63% higher than other cities
Home value64% pricier than other cities
Median rent18% pricier than other cities
Safety13% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Illinois and the picture shifts: Forest Park ranks #419 of 455 Illinois cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Forest Park against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Illinois only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Illinois-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Forest Park near the bottom of Illinois's cities
Among the 1,336 Illinois cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Forest Park ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Forest Park only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#391 of 1,311
70th percentile in Illinois
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,336
0th percentile in Illinois
Median Home Value
#160 of 1,315
88th percentile in Illinois
Poverty Rate
#850 of 1,335
36th percentile in Illinois
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#112 of 1,336
92nd percentile in Illinois
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Illinois only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
63rd percentile nationally for median household income · 13th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Forest Park's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Forest Park's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Forest Park's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$293,80036th percentilemore affordable than 36% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Forest Park's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#9,404 of 15,516
More affordable than 39% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,594 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.6×, Forest Park sits in the moderate band:
national rank #9,404 of 15,516 and #1,594 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$81,323Forest Park, IL median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Forest Park, IL median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Forest Park, IL.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)49.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)64.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
14,000
Median Income
$81,323
Median Home Value
$293,800
Median Age
40.0
Poverty Rate
4.9%
Labor force participation
64.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
49.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3246.7
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
416.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2830.6
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
5
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Forest Park's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
14,279 residents
2021
14,012 residents
2022
13,808 residents
2023
13,767 residents
2024
13,843 residents
2025
13,829 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Low Activity
Total Permits (2024)
14
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
14
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
1
1
0
$0.3M
2021
3
3
0
$0.8M
2022
2
2
0
$0.6M
2023
1
1
0
$0.3M
2024
14
0
14
$3.7M
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
23.5 minutes
Drive Alone
54.9%
Carpool
7.2%
Public Transit
10.8%
Walk
4.5%
Work from Home
19.0%
Other
3.6%
Based on 7,604 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Illinois statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $240
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Illinois at $240 (electricity about $100 , water and sewer about $50 ).
These are Illinois statewide averages, not a meter reading for Forest Park. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Illinois's BEA cost-of-living index is 100.0 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Forest Park is $1,063/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Illinois statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 54.5 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Illinois statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Forest Park sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Forest Park compares to similar-size Illinois cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.