Lake Forest, IL Profile: Facts & Data

Lake Forest, Illinois - Basic Facts

The City of Lake Forest had a population of 19,303 as of July 1, 2025.

The primary coordinate point for Lake Forest is located at latitude 42.2586 and longitude -87.8406 in Lake County. The formal boundaries for the City of Lake Forest encompass a land area of 17.19 sq. miles and a water area of 0.07 sq. miles. Lake County is in the Central time zone (GMT -6).

The City of Lake Forest has a C1 Census Class Code which indicates an active incorporated place that does not serve as a county subdivision equivalent. It also has a Functional Status Code of "A" which identifies an active government providing primary general-purpose functions.

The City of Lake Forest is located within Township of Shields, a minor civil division (MCD) of Lake County.

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Lake Forest, IL Data & Demographics (As of July 1, 2025)

POPULATION
Total Population	19,303 (100%)
Population in Households	18,043 (93.5%)
Population in Families	15,836 (82.0%)
Population in Group Quarters¹	1,260 ( 6.5%)
Population Density	1,122
Diversity Index²	36


INCOME
Median Household Income	$210,074
Average Household Income	$270,294
% of Income for Mortgage⁴	27%
Per Capita Income	$99,423
Wealth Index⁵	308
Socioeconomic Status Index⁶	High (68.5)

HOUSING
Total HU (Housing Units)	7,784 (100%)
Owner Occupied HU	6,126 (78.7%)
Renter Occupied HU	951 (12.2%)
Vacant Housing Units	707 ( 9.1%)
Median Home Value	$910,171
Average Home Value	$1,037,411
Housing Affordability Index³	73

HOUSEHOLDS
Total Households	7,077
Average Household Size	2.55
Family Households	5,267
Average Family Size	3.00

HOUSING

Total HU (Housing Units)

7,784 (100%)

Owner Occupied HU

6,126 (78.7%)

Renter Occupied HU

951 (12.2%)

Vacant Housing Units

707 ( 9.1%)

Median Home Value

$910,171

Average Home Value

$1,037,411

Housing Affordability Index³

HOUSEHOLDS

Total Households

7,077

Average Household Size

2.55

Family Households

5,267

Average Family Size

3.00

NOTES

Group Quarters - a place where people live or stay in a group living arrangement. Includes college residents halls, nursing facilities, military barracks, and correctional facilities.
The Diversity Index is a scale of 0 to 100 that represents the likelihood that two persons, chosen at random from the same area, belong to different races or ethnic groups. If an area's entire population belongs to one race AND one ethnic group, then the area has zero diversity. An area's diversity index increases to 100 when the population is evenly divided into two or more race/ethnic groups.
The Housing Affordability Index base is 100 and represents a balance point where a resident with a median household income can normally qualify to purchase a median price home. Values above 100 indicate increased affordability, while values below 100 indicate decreased affordability.
The % of Income for Mortgage quantifies the percentage of median household income dedicated to mortgage payments on a home priced at the median value (assuming a 30-year mortgage and a 20% down payment).
The Wealth Index is based on a number of indicators of affluence including average household income and average net worth, but it also includes the value of material possessions and resources. It represents the wealth of the area relative to the national level. Values above or below 100 represent above-average wealth or below-average wealth compared to the national level.
The Socioeconomic Index ranges from zero (lowest relative status) to 100 (highest relative status). This measure quantifies disparities in social position of an area's inhabitants and is built from a broad range of demographic, housing, and socioeconomic inputs. More information on this measure can be found in Esri's SEI tutorial.

GROWTH RATE / YEAR	2020-2025	2025-2030
Population	-0.06%	-0.06%
Households	0.45%	0.31%
Families		0.23%
Median Household Income		1.45%
Per Capita Income		1.68%
Owner Occupied HU		0.57%

GROWTH RATE / YEAR

2020-2025

2025-2030

Population

-0.06%

Households

0.45%

0.31%

Families

0.23%

Median Household Income

1.45%

Per Capita Income

1.68%

Owner Occupied HU

0.57%

Lake Forest, IL - Peer Comparisons by Rank and Percentile

The table below compares Lake Forest to the other 1,461 incorporated cities, towns and CDPs in Illinois by rank and percentile using July 1, 2025 data. The location Ranked # 1 has the highest value. A location that ranks higher than 75% of its peers would be in the 75th percentile of the peer group.

Variable Description	Rank	Percentile
Total Population	# 124	92nd
Population Density	# 610	58th
Median Household Income	# 5	100th
Housing Affordability Index	# 213	15th
Per Capita Income	# 8	100th
Diversity Index	# 440	70th

Variable Description

Rank

Percentile

Total Population

# 124

92nd

Population Density

# 610

58th

Median Household Income

# 5

100th

Housing Affordability Index

# 213

15th

Per Capita Income

# 8

100th

Diversity Index

# 440

70th

Illinois Census Data Comparison Tool

Lake Forest, IL Profile: Facts & Data

Lake Forest, Illinois - Basic Facts

Lake Forest, IL Data & Demographics (As of July 1, 2025)

POPULATION

INCOME

HOUSING

HOUSEHOLDS

GROWTH RATE / YEAR

Lake Forest, IL - Peer Comparisons by Rank and Percentile

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