River Forest is a medium-sized village located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 11,909 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.River Forest is a decidedly white-collar village, with fully 92.64% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, River Forest is a village of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in River Forest who work in management occupations (18.98%), healthcare (11.26%), and business and financial occupations (10.43%). 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. One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 26.80% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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. One downside of living in River Forest, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 33.23 minutes every day commuting to work. It is, however, a pedestrian-friendly village. Many of its neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot. In addition, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead. 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. 72.86% 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 $91,438, which is wealthy relative to Illinois and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $365,752 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, Polish, and English. The most common language spoken in River Forest is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
