Highland Park, IL vs Lake Forest, IL

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricHighland Park, ILLake Forest, IL
Population30,39819,416
Median Household Income$168,094$235,081
Median Rent$1,925/mo$1,815/mo
Median Home Value$607,300$938,300
Cost of Living (US = 100)104104
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income55.4%32.1%
Poverty Rate4.2%3.5%
Unemployment Rate3.9%4.7% (county)
Violent Crime Rate /100k5520
Property Crime Rate /100k746502
Median AQI3939
Good AQI Days /yr——
Summer Highs81°F81°F
Winter Lows19°F19°F
Snowfall34 in/yr34 in/yr
Avg Commute27.5 min31.3 min
Hospitals—1
Avg Hospital Rating—5.0 / 5
Students per Teacher1210.5
College Degree Rate76.9%80.5%
Foreign-Born %10.5%10.8%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+1.9%+1.9%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.