Lake Forest, IL

Census Place

2024 Population

19,416

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

3.51%

11.2% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$235,081

3.05% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$938,300

3.13% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

8,602

Population & Diversity

Lake Forest, IL is home to a population of 19.4k people, from which 95.4% are citizens.

As of 2024, 10.7% of Lake Forest, IL residents were born outside of the country (2.07k people).

In 2024, there were 12.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (15.6k people) in Lake Forest, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.25k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 709 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.4%

2024 Citizenship

95.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.4% of Lake Forest, IL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lake Forest, IL was 95.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Lake Forest, IL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lake Forest, IL

White (Non-Hispanic)
15.6k ± 1.03k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
1.25k ± 399
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
709 ± 419

6.09%

Hispanic Population

1.18k people

6.09% of the people in Lake Forest, IL are hispanic (1.18k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Lake Forest, IL as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Illinois.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
637,284 ± 19,101 people
India
166,788 ± 9,961 people
Poland
117,148 ± 8,364 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Illinois was Mexico, the natal country of 637,284 Illinois residents, followed by India with 166,788 and Poland with 117,148.

Foreign-Born Population

10.7%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

2.07k people

10.3%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.97k people

As of 2024, 10.7% of Lake Forest, IL residents (2.07k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Lake Forest, IL was 10.3%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Lake Forest, IL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
207 ± 94
Gulf War (2001-)
42 ± 30
Korea
17 ± 28

Lake Forest, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 4.93 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Lake Forest, IL.

Economy

The economy of Lake Forest, IL employs 8.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lake Forest, IL were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (1,853 people), Educational Services (1,019 people), and Manufacturing (956 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($250,001), Manufacturing ($195,833), and Finance & Insurance ($174,625).

Employment

Occupations

8.6k

2024 Value

± 735

−1.02%

1 Year decline

± 12.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lake Forest, IL declined at a rate of −1.02%, from 8.69k employees to 8.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lake Forest, IL, are Management Occupations (1,771 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,014 people), and Legal Occupations (830 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lake Forest, IL.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Illinois (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

8.6k

2024 Value

± 735

−1.02%

1 Year decline

± 12.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lake Forest, IL declined at a rate of −1.02%, from 8.69k employees to 8.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lake Forest, IL, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (1,853 people), Educational Services (1,019 people), and Manufacturing (956 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lake Forest, IL, though some of these residents may live in Lake Forest, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$155,244

Median earning men ± $20,756

$65,000

Median earning women ± $18,931

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($250,001), Manufacturing ($208,188), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($206,364).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($250,001), Manufacturing ($109,531), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($90,781).

Education

The student population of Lake Forest, IL in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 876 male students and 1,157 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Lake Forest, IL are White (289 and 53.2%), Hispanic or Latino (104 and 19.2%), Asian (53 and 9.76%), and Black or African American (39 and 7.18%).

The largest universities in Lake Forest, IL by number of degrees awarded are Lake Forest College (553 and 84.8%) and Lake Forest Graduate School of Management (99 and 15.2%).

The most popular majors in Lake Forest, IL are General Business Administration & Management (99 and 15.2%), General Business (65 and 9.97%), and Other Research & Experimental Psychology (48 and 7.36%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $55,500.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Lake Forest, IL, the percentage of applicants admitted was 56.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 13.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 2,033 (43.1% men and 56.9% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 2,033 students enrolled in Lake Forest, IL, 43.1% men and 56.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 953 records, of which 53.2% were women and 46.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business
65 degrees awarded
Other Research & Experimental Psychology
48 degrees awarded
Neuroscience
35 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Lake Forest, IL was General Business with 65 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Lake Forest, IL according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Lake Forest College
553 degrees awarded
Lake Forest Graduate School of Management
99 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lake Forest College with 553 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 231 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Lake Forest, IL, which is 0.549 times less than the 421 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 289 degrees mean that there were 2.78 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 104 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($55,500) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($902) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,350) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lake Forest, IL was $938,300 in 2024, which is 2.82 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $909,800 to $938,300, a 3.13% increase. The homeownership rate in Lake Forest, IL is 88.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lake Forest, IL have an average commute time of 31.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lake Forest, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$938,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$36,426

$6,124

Median Property Taxes

±$507

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Lake Forest, IL the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Lake Forest, IL compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

88.8%

Homeownership

2024

65.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 88.8% of the housing units in Lake Forest, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 89.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lake Forest, IL compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$235,081

Median Household Income

± $24,243

6.9k

Number of Households

± 522

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.9k households in Lake Forest, IL grew to $235,081 from the previous year's value of $228,120.

The following chart displays the households in Lake Forest, IL distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Lake Forest, IL is from Illinois.

0.471

2024 Wage GINI in Illinois

0.474

2023 Wage GINI in Illinois

In 2024, the income inequality in Illinois was 0.471 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.55% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Illinois was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Illinois in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Illinois across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (46.1%)
Worked At Home (30.3%)
Public Transit (12.3%)

In 2024, 46.1% of workers in Lake Forest, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (30.3%) and those who used public transit to get to work (12.3%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

31.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lake Forest, IL have a longer commute time (31.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.71% of the workforce in Lake Forest, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Lake Forest, IL compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Lake Forest, IL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Lake Forest, IL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

3.51% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lake Forest, IL (637 out of 18.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lake Forest, IL is White, followed by Asian and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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