Oak Forest, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Oak Forest, IL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Oak Forest | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 21,393 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3518.0 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.05% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.8 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,201 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Oak Forest grew by 1.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21,393 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Oak Forest is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.2% of residents. That is 2.8 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,334 20.3% -1.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,558 21.3% -0.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,968 23.2% +2.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,438 16.1% -0.8 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Illinois, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.9% of the people living in Oak Forest and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 50.1% Illinois 49.4%
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Economy
Oak Forest has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Oak Forest | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $88,955 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.15% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Oak Forest is about 6% higher than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Oak Forest | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $348,615 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,355 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.2% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Oak Forest is about 21.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,355 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Oak Forest spend about 58 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 241 hours, about 10.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Oak Forest | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 29.0 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 58.0 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 241 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,486 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.5% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 27,248 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,240 | 1,547 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Oak Forest is 29 minutes, longer than the 24 minutes in Illinois.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Oak Forest has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Oak Forest | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29.4% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.60 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Health
Oak Forest has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Oak Forest | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.3 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.8% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.4% | 19.2% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Oak Forest, Illinois.
How many people live in Oak Forest, Illinois?
About 21,393 people live in Oak Forest, Illinois, in 8,201 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 38.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Oak Forest, Illinois mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Oak Forest, Illinois has 3,518 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 41 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Oak Forest, Illinois an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.9 times the median household income ($348,615 against $88,955), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,355 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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