Lake County · Illinois · Midwest · 19k residents
Lake Forest, IL: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Lake Forest: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Illinois median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,784/wk. Illinois's corporate income tax rate is 9.5%. Commercial electricity averages 11.8¢/kWh.
Compare Lake Forest side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,784/wk
Corporate income tax
9.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
80.5%
Commercial electricity
11.8¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Lake Forest's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
37/100
Steady
Ranks Lake Forest's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $938,300 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $175 |
| Property tax rate | 2.1% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,639/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,685/mo |
| State & local income tax | 4.95% |
| Sales tax | 8.85% |
| Corporate income tax | 9.5% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,784/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 80.5% |
| Commercial electricity | 11.8¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 27.8/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $134,380 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $100,490 |
| Wage: General manager | $109,390 |
| Wage: Customer service | $47,100 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $38,450 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $62,300 |
| Wage: Electrician | $102,350 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $35,820 |
| Cost of living index | 135 |
| Groceries index | 98 |
| Utilities | $165/mo |
| Transit pass | $75/mo |
| Gas price | $3.65/gal |
| Healthcare index | 98 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,300/mo |
| Median household income | $235,081 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% |
| Population | 19k |
| Crime index | 50/100 |
| School rating | 6.3/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 96/100 |
| Avg. commute | 29 min |
| Sunny days / year | 190 days |
| July high | 84°F |
| January low | 16°F |
| Annual snowfall | 34 in |
| Home price YoY | +9.1% |
| Home price MoM | +0.7% |
| Rent YoY | — |
| Rent MoM | +2.0% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -1.1% |
| Building permits YoY | +14.3% |
| Ocean coast | 713 mi |
| Big lake | 9 mi |
| Mountains | 357 mi |
| Major airport | 19 mi |
| Ski resort | 183 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Highland Park, IL · 30k
- Deerfield, IL · 20k
- North Chicago, IL · 31k
- Libertyville, IL · 21k
- Vernon Hills, IL · 27k
Similar size
- Evergreen Park, IL · 19k
- Brookfield, IL · 19k
- Homewood, IL · 19k
- Lake Zurich, IL · 20k
- Mokena, IL · 20k
Real listings in Lake Forest
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Lake Forest a good place to run a business?
- Illinois's corporate income tax rate is 9.5%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,784/wk; commercial electricity averages 11.8¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Lake Forest, IL?
- Lake Forest indexes at 135 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,685/mo and a acs median home value of $938,300.
- How much does a house cost in Lake Forest?
- The acs median home value in Lake Forest is $938,300 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Lake Forest?
- A two-bedroom in Lake Forest rents for about $1,685/mo.