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 →

Riverside$3,920/mo

Typical home $566K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.04%+ · or rent about $1,484/mo · Housing →

The difference: $840 a month, about $10,100 a year, between River Forest and Riverside.

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 14 of 22 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 –RiversideNot graded

Health

A+River ForestHealthier than 99% of U.S. towns A+RiversideHealthier than 98% of U.S. towns

14River Forest

7Riverside

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most trailsOutdoors · 665 towns #6#234 Most conserved landOutdoors · 838 towns #584#306 Most new homesHousing · 431 towns #315#378 Most walkableOutdoors · 862 towns #150#48 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 862 towns #43#138 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 861 towns #26#87 Highest graduation rateSchools · 669 towns #181#138 Most library borrowingLibraries · 262 towns #26#39

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

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 ForestRiverside

Snow a year42″42″

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)69th 72nd

Outdoors & history

River ForestRiverside

Trails7 mi 1 mi

Conserved land1.9%5.3%

Settled—1875

National Register places5 6

Archive photos15 27

Famous people born here13 15

Community

River ForestRiverside

Library hours a week67 hrs 65 hrs

Colleges in town2 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined1 1

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.

Where they are

4 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

River ForestRiverside

River Forest ↔ Riverside4.4 miles apart

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 ForestRiverside

People

Population 11,992Highest 9,039Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.9%Highest +4.8%Lowest

Median age 40±3Lowest about the IL average 42±4.9Highest 8% above IL

Riverside 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%±3.2Lowest IL: 21.8% 26.1%±5.1Highest IL: 21.8%

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

Age 65+ 18.8%±2.9Lowest IL: 17% 19.7%±4.3Highest IL: 17%

Riverside and River Forest 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% 72.5%Lowest IL: 37.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 11.5%±2.5Highest IL: 6.3% 2.6%±1Lowest IL: 6.3%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $146,786±$33kLowest 76% above IL $153,686±$19kHighest 84% above IL

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $687,300±$64kHighest 161% above IL $491,400±$32kLowest 87% above IL

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,554±$269Highest 22% above IL $1,484±$214Lowest 16% above IL

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+ at least 89% above IL $10,000+ at least 89% above IL

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 88.9%±13.3Highest IL: 47.9% 16.5%±15.2Lowest IL: 47.9%

Below poverty line 2.7%Lowest IL: 11.8% 3.3%Highest IL: 11.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 87.7%Highest IL: 67.1% 84.8%Lowest IL: 67.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1946Highest 25 yrs older than IL 1938Lowest 33 yrs older than IL

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 33 min 17% above IL 33 min 17% above IL

Work from home 26.8%±4.6Lowest IL: 15.9% 28.3%±6.6Highest IL: 15.9%

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

Work in townworking residents 4.9%Highest 3.9%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 9.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.85Highest 0.32Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Chicago (46%)Chicago (39%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RiversideFew work in River Forest

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.9%Lowest 5.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 7.1 miHighest 1.2 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.8 miHighest 0.6 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 14Highest 7Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 87.9Lowest 115Highest

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.

Riverside neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in Riverside can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside River Forest and Riverside

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

Bordering River Forest

+ Compare

River Forest Township11,992 people · $687K homes

+ Compare

Proviso Township147,690 people · $284K homes

+ Compare

Maywood23,201 people · $230K homes

+ Compare

Melrose Park24,549 people · $276K homes

Towns like River Forest

+ Compare

Clarendon Hills8,659 people · $606K homes

+ Compare

La Grange15,998 people · $594K homes

+ Compare

Hawthorn Woods9,143 people · $619K homes

+ Compare

Libertyville20,525 people · $512K 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 Riverside

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $840 more a month in River Forest

River Forest places higher on 14 of 22 IL lists

What daily life feels like in each

4 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside River Forest and Riverside

Bordering River Forest

Towns like River Forest

Post to River Forest

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