What is the median rent in River Forest, IL?

Name: Median rent in River Forest, IL, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in River Forest, IL is $1,554 (±$269) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 476 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In River Forest, the median gross rent went from $1,143 in 2015–2019 to $1,554 in 2020–2024 (+36.0%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,554 (±$269)
Rented homes: 476 (±323)
$2,000 or more: 11.6%
Since 2015–2019: +36.0%

How much rent costs in River Forest

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	River Forest	Cook County	Illinois	United States
Less than $500	0.0% (±7.6 points)	6.0%	7.0%	6.3%
$500 to $999	7.4% (±13.5 points)	14.5%	23.5%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	38.0% (±31.4 points)	33.7%	32.6%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	43.1% (±38.7 points)	22.0%	18.7%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	7.4% (±9.6 points)	12.1%	9.6%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	0.0% (±7.6 points)	5.6%	4.1%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	4.2% (±6.9 points)	6.1%	4.4%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,500 to $1,999, paid by 43.1% of renting households.

11.6% of rented homes in River Forest cost $2,000 or more a month.

River Forest against Cook County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	River Forest	Cook County	Illinois	United States
Median gross rent	$1,554 (±$269)	$1,435 (±$7)	$1,274 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	476 (±323)	859,046 (±6,982)	1,587,238 (±10,609)	42,849,984

In River Forest, median gross rent is not measurably different from Cook County ($1,435).

It is also higher than in Illinois ($1,274).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

In Cook County, River Forest ranks 43 of 143 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 199 of 2,063.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in River Forest has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,143 (±$99)	$1,554 (±$269)	+36.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	11.2% (±3.2 points)	12.3% (±6.9 points)	+1.1 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	13.4% (±14.6 points)	9.6% (±8.4 points)	−3.8 percentage points	Not a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near River Forest

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with River Forest
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
River Forest	—	$1,554 (±$269)	—
River Forest Township	0.0 mi	$1,554 (±$269)	Not measurably different
Oak Park	1.6 mi	$1,593 (±$81)	Not measurably different
Oak Park Township	1.6 mi	$1,593 (±$81)	Not measurably different
Maywood	1.7 mi	$1,209 (±$72)	Lower
Forest Park	1.8 mi	$1,367 (±$82)	Not measurably different
Elmwood Park	1.9 mi	$1,334 (±$57)	Not measurably different
River Grove	2.3 mi	$1,214 (±$93)	Lower
Melrose Park	2.4 mi	$1,176 (±$82)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Maywood, IL ($1,209), River Grove, IL ($1,214), Melrose Park, IL ($1,176).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Cook County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
37	Des Plaines	$1,606 (±$71)
38	Hanover Township (Cook County)	$1,598 (±$73)
39 (tie)	Oak Park	$1,593 (±$81)
39 (tie)	Oak Park Township	$1,593 (±$81)
41	Matteson	$1,580 (±$462)
42	Elk Grove Township	$1,559 (±$43)
43 (tie)	River Forest	$1,554 (±$269)
43 (tie)	River Forest Township	$1,554 (±$269)
45	Robbins	$1,553 (±$564)
46	Skokie	$1,552 (±$81)
47	Palatine	$1,549 (±$72)
48	Park Ridge	$1,537 (±$227)
49	East Hazel Crest	$1,504 (±$267)

Showing 13 of 143 places in Cook County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about River Forest

What is the average rent in River Forest, IL?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in River Forest is $1,554 (±$269) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in River Forest?

In River Forest, the median gross rent went from $1,143 in 2015–2019 to $1,554 in 2020–2024 (+36.0%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

How many rentals in River Forest cost more than $2,000 a month?

11.6% of rented homes in River Forest have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 0.0% cost less than $500.

Is rent in River Forest higher than in Cook County?

In River Forest, median gross rent is not measurably different from Cook County ($1,435).

It is also higher than in Illinois ($1,274).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for River Forest village, Illinois (place:64304, in state:17).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.