City safety & data profile

Oak ForestIL

Oak Forest, IL is a 28K-resident city in Cook County with a median household income of $91,990.

Cook County, Illinois. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Oak Forest, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Oak Forest has a population larger than 60% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $255,100.

Data updated 2026-07-20

28K
Population
Top 40%
By size
$91,990
Median income
$255,100
Median home
6.5%
Poverty rate

The read on Oak Forest

Oak Forest posts a median household income higher than 62% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 38%
by median income, US cities

Where Oak Forest income ranks nationally

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

$91,990 Top 38% higher than 62% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $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 Oak Forest, IL beyond the headline numbers

Oak Forest sits inside Cook County, Illinois, at roughly 41.60°N, -87.74°W. Population 28,074, $91,990 median household income. Median home value $255,100, median rent $1,328. Poverty rate 6.5%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Oak Forest's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 34%, then obesity at 29%.

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

Population
28,074
Oak Forest
Median Income
$91,990
+35% vs avg
Median Home Value
$255,100
+12% vs avg
Median Age
40.5
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Cook County) - Oak 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
5.2M-1%
Median Income
$83,498+53%
Median Home Value
$324,500+40%
Poverty Rate
13.5%-20%
Unemployment
7%-43%

Economics

Economics indicators for Oak Forest, IL
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,328/mo
Poverty Rate
6.5% -54% vs avg
Unemployment 5.4%
Bachelor's Degree+ 31.2%
Work From Home 10.5%
Public Transit 5.6%

Population

White 68%
African American 7.9%
Asian 5.8%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
34%
Obesity
29%
High Blood Pressure
28.7%
Binge Drinking
20.4%
Physical Inactivity
20%
Frequent Mental Distress
15.5%
Frequent Physical Distress
11.4%
Current Smoking
11.3%
Current Asthma
10%
Diabetes
9.7%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 66.9%
Annual Checkup 76.8%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
9.1%
Coronary Heart Disease
5%
Stroke
2.8%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Oak Forest, IL? ▼
Oak Forest, IL has a population of 28,074 people, located in Cook County, Illinois.
What is the median household income in Oak Forest? ▼
The median household income in Oak Forest, IL is $91,990 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 6.5%.
What is the median home value in Oak Forest? ▼
The median home value in Oak Forest, IL is $255,100. Median rent is $1,328/month.
What are the top health concerns in Oak Forest? ▼
The top health indicators in Oak Forest include Short Sleep Duration (34%), Obesity (29%), High Blood Pressure (28.7%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Oak Forest? ▼
The median age in Oak Forest, IL is 40.5 years. 31.2% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Oak Forest, IL is located in Cook County, Illinois. With a population of 28K and a $91,990 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Safety alerts for the Oak 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

Midlothian, IL 15K Crestwood, IL 11K Country Club Hills, IL 17K Markham, IL 13K Tinley Park, IL 57K Hazel Crest, IL 14K Alsip, IL 19K Palos Heights, IL 13K
All cities in Illinois → Compare Oak Forest vs Midlothian → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Oak 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 Oak 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 Oak 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 (Cook 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.