River Forest is a village in Cook County, Illinois, home to about 11,992 people across 2.5 square miles. Its ZIP code is 60305.
Homes sold for a median of $319 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside River Forest. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up River Forest’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)7 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Chicago, IL8 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of River Forest; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
River Forest had 11,717 residents in the 2020 census, up 1% since 2000.
It’s the 198th largest of 1,450 towns in Illinois by population.
Cook County grew from 1,838,735 residents in 1900 to 5,275,541 in 2020.
Cook County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 85°F in summer, and winter lows average 19°F. About 34.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chicago Midway Ap, IL weather station (8 miles away).
2,492,328 jobs at 134,513 businesses in Cook County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
201 doctors and other health care providers list an office in River Forest.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 21 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 23 |
| Dentists | 34 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 25 |
| Mental health providers | 55 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 28 |
| Optometrists | 4 |
| Chiropractors | 11 |
| Pharmacies | 7 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (24 nearby)
Grocery stores (4 nearby)
Pharmacies (4 nearby)
Libraries (5 nearby)
Museums (4 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (2 nearby)
Counts are within about 1.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Colleges and universities
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by River Forest SD 90. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Elem SchoolRiver Forest | Pre-K–4 | 381 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Willard Elem SchoolRiver Forest | Pre-K–4 | 327 | Public | 0.6 mi |
| Roosevelt SchoolRiver Forest | 5–8 | 625 | Public | 0.2 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concordia Univ Early Childhood Education CenterRiver Forest | Pre-K–K | 15 | Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod | 0.5 mi |
| Grace Lutheran SchoolRiver Forest | Pre-K–8 | 175 | Other Lutheran | 0.6 mi |
| Keystone Montessori SchoolRiver Forest | Pre-K–8 | 33 | Nonsectarian | 1.0 mi |
| St Luke SchoolRiver Forest | Pre-K–8 | 247 | Roman Catholic | 0.4 mi |
| Trinity High SchoolChicago | 9–12 | 316 | Roman Catholic | 0.5 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.