A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

River Forest$4,770/mo

Typical home $738K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.46%+ · or rent about $1,554/mo · Housing →

Proviso Township$2,030/mo

Typical home $284K (Census) · tax rate 2.28% · or rent about $1,268/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,740 a month, about $32,900 a year, between River Forest and Proviso Township.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Report cards

River Forest places higher on 12 of 19 IL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Illinois ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

C+River ForestSafer than 43% of U.S. towns –Proviso TownshipNot graded

Schools

–River ForestNot graded DProviso TownshipBetter than 11% of districts in the state

Health

A+River ForestHealthier than 99% of U.S. towns B+Proviso TownshipHealthier than 69% of U.S. towns

12River Forest

7Proviso Township

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fewest uninsuredHealth · 861 towns #26#758 Highest graduation rateSchools · 669 towns #181#621 Most activeHealth · 861 towns #10#512 Highest incomeIncome · 862 towns #56#421 HealthiestHealth · 861 towns #9#373 Most educatedPeople · 862 towns #22#380 Fastest growingGrowth · 859 towns #152#397 Most remote workersWork · 849 towns #42#275

Left end = #1 in Illinois. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of River Forest’s rankings →

Where they are

River Forest and Proviso Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

River ForestProviso Township

River Forest ↔ Proviso Township3.4 miles apart · They share a border

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

River ForestProviso Township

Snow a year42″42″

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)69th 71st

Outdoors & history

River ForestProviso Township

Trails7 mi 23 mi

Conserved land1.9%3.1%

Settled—1850

National Register places5 1

Archive photos15 —

Famous people born here13 1

Community

River ForestProviso Township

Library hours a week67 hrs 69 hrs

Colleges in town2 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined1 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Illinois average

River ForestProviso Township

People

Population 11,992Lowest 147,690Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.9%Highest -0.3%Lowest

Median age 40±3Lowest about the IL average 40.3±1Highest 3% above IL

Proviso Township and River Forest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 24.5%±3.2Highest IL: 21.8% 22.2%±1.2Lowest IL: 21.8%

River Forest and Proviso Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 18.8%±2.9Highest IL: 17% 17.5%±0.8Lowest IL: 17%

River Forest and Proviso Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 72.9%Highest IL: 37.8% 30.5%Lowest IL: 37.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 11.5%±2.5Highest IL: 6.3% 5.5%±0.6Lowest IL: 6.3%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $146,786±$33kHighest 76% above IL $82,097±$3kLowest about the IL average

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $687,300±$64kHighest 161% above IL $284,000±$5kLowest 8% above IL

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,554±$269Highest 22% above IL $1,268±$38Lowest about the IL average

River Forest and Proviso Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+Highest at least 89% above IL $6,477Lowest 22% above IL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 88.9%±13.3Highest IL: 47.9% 49.1%±4.4Lowest IL: 47.9%

Below poverty line 2.7%Lowest IL: 11.8% 10.1%Highest IL: 11.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 87.7%Highest IL: 67.1% 69.3%Lowest IL: 67.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1946Lowest 25 yrs older than IL 1955Highest 16 yrs older than IL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 17% above IL 29 minLowest 3% above IL

Work from home 26.8%±4.6Highest IL: 15.9% 13.7%±1.4Lowest IL: 15.9%

Work in townworking residents 4.9%Lowest 13.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 9.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.85Lowest 1.16Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (46%)Chicago (30%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Proviso TownshipFew work in River Forest

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.9%Lowest 3.1%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 7.1 miLowest 22.8 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.8 miHighest 0.8 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 14Lowest 57Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 87.9Lowest 97.2Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#316 of 384 in IL

School district —Proviso Area Exceptional Child · Region 06 West Cook ISC 2

High school in town —Proviso West High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 16.8

Illinois average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

River Forest neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in River Forest can answer.

Proviso Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Proviso Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside River Forest and Proviso Township

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering River Forest

+ Compare

River Forest Township11,992 people · $687K homes

+ Compare

Maywood23,201 people · $230K homes

+ Compare

Melrose Park24,549 people · $276K homes

+ Compare

Forest Park13,943 people · $305K homes

Towns like River Forest

+ Compare

Clarendon Hills8,659 people · $606K homes

+ Compare

Riverside9,039 people · $491K homes

+ Compare

La Grange15,998 people · $594K homes

+ Compare

Hawthorn Woods9,143 people · $619K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Illinois towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

River Forest vs Proviso Township

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $2,740 more a month in River Forest

River Forest places higher on 12 of 19 IL lists

River Forest and Proviso Township share a border

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside River Forest and Proviso Township

Bordering River Forest

Towns like River Forest

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