City safety & data profile

Lake ForestIL

Lake Forest, IL is a 19K-resident city in Lake County with a median household income of $235,081.

Lake County, Illinois. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Lake Forest, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Lake Forest has a population larger than 42% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $938,300, and 1 hospital serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-19

19K
Population
Top 58%
By size
$235,081
Median income
$938,300
Median home
3.5%
Poverty rate

The read on Lake Forest

Lake Forest posts a median household income higher than 99% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 hospital serves the Lake Forest area.

Top 1%
by median income, US cities
1
hospital in & near Lake Forest

Where Lake Forest income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$235,081 Top 1% higher than 99% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Below this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Below this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Below this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Below this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). This entry sits in this band. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. IL $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Lake Forest, IL beyond the headline numbers

Lake Forest sits inside Lake County, Illinois, at roughly 42.26°N, -87.84°W. Population 19,408, $235,081 median household income. Median home value $938,300, median rent $1,815. Poverty rate 3.5%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Lake Forest's highest-prevalence health measure is high blood pressure at 32.5%, then obesity at 27.8%. 1 hospital in/around Lake Forest, 5/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Lake Forest from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
19,408
Lake Forest
Median Income
$235,081
+246% vs avg
Median Home Value
$938,300
+312% vs avg
Median Age
46.1
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Lake County) - Lake Forest's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
714K+2%
Median Income
$110,416+43%
Median Home Value
$345,700+36%
Poverty Rate
8.3%-8%
Unemployment
5%-46%

Economics

Economics indicators for Lake Forest, IL
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,815/mo
Poverty Rate
3.5% -75% vs avg
Unemployment 1.8%
Bachelor's Degree+ 80.5%
Work From Home 30.3%
Public Transit 12.3%

Population

White 82.2%
African American 1%
Asian 6.5%
Two or More Ethnicities 4.2%

Health Profile 14 measures

Health Indicators

High Blood Pressure
32.5%
Obesity
27.8%
Short Sleep Duration
27%
Binge Drinking
15.6%
Physical Inactivity
13.5%
Frequent Mental Distress
11.6%
Frequent Physical Distress
9%
Current Asthma
8.9%
Current Smoking
6.4%
Coronary Heart Disease
5.4%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 76.8%
Annual Checkup 80.4%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
3.8%
Stroke
2.6%

Hospitals 1 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
1
★★★★
0
★★★
0
★★
0
★
0
Average Rating
5/5
Total Hospitals
1
With ER
1
NORTHWESTERN LAKE FOREST HOSPITAL
LAKE FOREST · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★★★

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Lake Forest, IL? ▼
Lake Forest, IL has a population of 19,408 people, located in Lake County, Illinois.
What is the median household income in Lake Forest? ▼
The median household income in Lake Forest, IL is $235,081 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 3.5%.
What is the median home value in Lake Forest? ▼
The median home value in Lake Forest, IL is $938,300. Median rent is $1,815/month.
What are the top health concerns in Lake Forest? ▼
The top health indicators in Lake Forest include High Blood Pressure (32.5%), Obesity (27.8%), Short Sleep Duration (27%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Lake Forest? ▼
Lake Forest has 1 hospital with an average rating of 5/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Lake Forest? ▼
The median age in Lake Forest, IL is 46.1 years. 80.5% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Lake Forest, IL is located in Lake County, Illinois. With a population of 19K and a $235,081 median household income, the community faces health challenges including high blood pressure and obesity. Residents have access to 1 hospital with an average rating of 5/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Lake Forest area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Illinois

Real-time AQI for every monitored Illinois location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

North Chicago, IL 29K Highland Park, IL 30K Deerfield, IL 19K Waukegan, IL 88K Libertyville, IL 20K Gurnee, IL 31K Northbrook, IL 34K Vernon Hills, IL 26K
All cities in Illinois → Compare Lake Forest vs North Chicago → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Lake Forest's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Lake Forest area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Lake Forest against Illinois peers on any ranking lens. Explore Illinois

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Lake County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.