Health · River Forest

River Forest, IL health

River Forest differs from Illinois on 24 of 40 measures. It has fewer adults facing food insecurity (8% vs 15.9%) and fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth (5.3% vs 10.3%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (8.4% vs 7.6%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for River Forest
Report card

How River Forest compares with Illinois

Each theme counts how many of its measures are better, worse or too close to call against the state. Tap one to jump to it.

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 River Forest adults…

27 of every 100 River Forest adults have high blood pressure
Illinois: 33 in 100 · better · margin 24.4–28.9%

Bars show River Forest; the black tick is Illinois. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

River Forest, betterRiver Forest, worseToo close to callIllinois
Get no exerciseshare of adults 14.4% River Forest
IL 23%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 29.6% River Forest
IL 35.4%
Binge drinkshare of adults 19.9% River Forest
IL 17.8%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 6.9% River Forest
IL 12.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of River Forest adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Illinois.

79%
Yearly checkup
IL 78%
76%
Dentist visit
IL 63%
91%
Cholesterol check
IL 87%
67%
Colon screening
IL 60%
77%
Mammogram
IL 74%
75%
Taking BP meds
IL 76%
1 in 20
working-age adults has no health insurance
River Forest 5.1% · Illinois 1 in 10 (9.9%)
Mind & connection

How River Forest adults are doing

1 in 3River Forest adults feel lonely
30.7% · Illinois 33.5% · too close to call
1 in 5River Forest adults have been diagnosed with depression
19.1% · Illinois 19.8% · too close to call
1 in 5River Forest adults lack social or emotional support
21.2% · Illinois 25.4% · better
1 in 8River Forest adults are in frequent mental distress
12.6% · Illinois 15.6% · better
Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 13
River Forest adults worry about having enough food
8% · IL 15.9% · better
1 in 14
River Forest adults worry about keeping their housing
7.4% · IL 13.2% · better
1 in 24
River Forest adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
4.2% · IL 7.8% · better
1 in 22
River Forest adults lack reliable transportation
4.6% · IL 8% · better

5.7% of River Forest adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 13.8% across Illinois.

Disability

Living with a disability

19.8%

of River Forest adults live with a disability (Illinois 27.6%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs8.3%
Thinking or memory8.8%
Hearing4.8%
Errands alone4.9%
Vision2.7%
Dressing or bathing2.1%

Black tick: Illinois. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Around River Forest

River Forest and the towns around it

Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health. Pins are the nearest hospitals and community health centers.

River Forest: 24.7% Proviso: 32.6% Maywood: 39.6% Melrose Park: 34.6% Forest Park: 30.6% Lyons: 29.1% York: 28.5% La Grange Park: 25.8% La Grange: 26.2% Leyden: 31.2% North Riverside: 31% Riverside: 28.5% Elmhurst: 27.9% Broadview: 38% Bellwood: 38.9% Stone Park: 37.2% Northlake: 31.7% River Grove: 31.7% Franklin Park: 31.4% Berkeley: 34.1% River Forest: 24.7% River Forest River Forest Proviso Maywood Melrose Park Forest Park Rush Oak Park Hospital · Oak Park · 1.4 mi · 4★ MedicareH Loyola Gottlieb Memorial Hospital · Melrose Park · 1.6 mi · 3★ MedicareH Loyola University Medical Center · Maywood · 2.2 mi · 2★ MedicareH Access Melrose Park Family Health Center · Melrose Park · 1 mi+ Pcc Melrose Park Family Health Center · Melrose Park · 1.5 mi+
24.7%39.6%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#1 of 21towns on this map, healthiest first
River Forest24.7%
River Forest24.7%
Forest Park30.6%
Proviso32.6%
Melrose Park34.6%
Maywood39.6%

Care nearby

Rush Oak Park HospitalOak Park · 1.4 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Loyola Gottlieb Memorial HospitalMelrose Park · 1.6 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Shriners Hospital for ChildrenChicago · 2 mi · children's DirectionsMedicare profile
Loyola University Medical CenterMaywood · 2.2 mi · ★★★★★ · ER DirectionsMedicare profile
Access Melrose Park Family Health CenterMelrose Park · 1 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
Pcc Melrose Park Family Health CenterMelrose Park · 1.5 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions
✓ Primary careRiver Forest is not a shortage area
✓ Dental careRiver Forest is not a shortage area
✓ Mental healthRiver Forest is not a shortage area

Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas. Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of River Forest. Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

All 40 measures for River Forest
MeasureRiver ForestMarginIllinois
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure26.6%24.4–28.9%33%better
High cholesterol34.3%31.6–36.9%35.4%about the same
Obesity24.7%21.8–27.6%34%better
Arthritis21.3%19.3–23.3%24.2%better
Depression19.1%16.9–21.3%19.8%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)5.3%4.3–6.5%10.3%better
Asthma9.3%8.3–10.4%9.9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)8.4%7.7–9.2%7.6%worse
Diabetes8.1%7.1–9.1%11.7%better
COPD4.1%3.4–4.8%6.3%better
Heart disease4.4%3.8–4.9%5.9%better
Stroke2.3%2.1–2.6%3.3%better
Habits
Smoke cigarettes6.9%5.7–8.4%12.1%better
Binge drink19.9%17.7–22.1%17.8%about the same
Get no exercise14.4%12.3–16.7%23%better
Sleep under 7 hours29.6%26.4–32.9%35.4%better
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup79%76.5–81.2%77.8%about the same
Dentist visit76.4%73.9–78.7%63.4%better
Cholesterol check90.9%89.6–92%87.4%better
Colon screening66.7%63.1–70.2%60.2%better
Mammogram76.6%71.2–81.4%73.5%about the same
Taking BP meds75%72.1–77.6%75.7%about the same
No health insurance5.1%4.2–6.2%9.9%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely30.7%27.6–33.8%33.5%about the same
Lack emotional support21.2%18.7–23.9%25.4%better
Frequent mental distress12.6%11.2–14.1%15.6%better
Fair or poor health11.5%10–13.2%18.6%better
Frequent physical distress8.8%7.8–9.9%12.2%better
Everyday needs
Food insecurity8%6.6–9.6%15.9%better
Housing insecurity7.4%6.3–8.7%13.2%better
Utility shut-off threat4.2%3.6–4.9%7.8%better
No reliable transportation4.6%4–5.4%8%better
Receive SNAP5.7%4.5–7.2%13.8%
Disability
Any disability19.8%17.5–22.3%27.6%
Walking or climbing stairs8.3%7.1–9.6%12.8%
Thinking or memory8.8%7.6–10.1%12.6%
Hearing4.8%4.3–5.5%6.2%
Vision2.7%2.4–3.1%4.8%
Dressing or bathing2.1%1.8–2.4%3.5%
Errands alone4.9%4.3–5.7%7.6%
About these numbers

How CDC estimates town health

They're modeled estimatesCDC combines a large national health survey with each area's age, sex, race and income mix to estimate local rates. Nobody surveyed River Forest door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Illinois figure falls inside it, we don't call River Forest better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes River Forest directly, so these are its own figures.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Illinois figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population.

Health estimates: CDC PLACES. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau.

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River Forest

Illinois · IL
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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01