Lake Forest, IL Demographics

A map of Lake Forest's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	15,577	16,380	80.2%	84.6%
Asian	1,248	1,114	6.4%	5.8%
Hispanic	1,182	914	6.1%	4.7%
Multiracial	1,046	645	5.4%	3.3%
Black	186	232	1.0%	1.2%
Native American/Other	177	82	0.9%	0.4%

Lake Forest, Illinois has an estimated population of 19,416, a less than 1% change from the 19,367 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 80.2% White, 6.4% Asian, 6.1% Hispanic, 5.4% Multiracial, 1.0% Black, and 0.9% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Lake Forest, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Lake Forest has become considerably more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Illinois overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Lake Forest, that probability was 27.8% in 2020 and 34.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Lake Forest is ranked the 127th most populous place in Illinois, out of 1,461 places. This ranking is based on the Census definition of a place, which includes incorporated places like cities, towns, and villages, as well as unincorporated census-designated places (CDPs). Lake Forest was ranked the 128th most populous place in the 2020 Census.

Lake Forest's White Population

15,577 residents of Lake Forest, or 80.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Lake Forest is significantly higher than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Lake Forest ranks 1024th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake Forest's White population has declined by an estimated 4.9%. White residents' share of Lake Forest's population has decreased from 84.6% to 80.2%.

Lake Forest is more White than neighboring Bannockburn (73.8% White), Knollwood (73.2% White), and Highwood (57.1% White). Lake Forest is less White than neighboring Lake Bluff (83.7% White), and Mettawa (84.3% White).

Lake Forest's Black Population

186 residents of Lake Forest, or 1.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Lake Forest is considerably lower than in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. Lake Forest ranks 514th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake Forest's Black population has declined by an estimated 19.8%. Black residents' share of Lake Forest's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.0%.

Lake Forest is more Black than neighboring Lake Bluff (0% Black), and Mettawa (0% Black). Lake Forest is less Black than neighboring Bannockburn (4.9% Black), Knollwood (6.2% Black), and Highwood (1.2% Black).

Lake Forest's Asian Population

1,248 residents of Lake Forest, or 6.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Lake Forest is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. Lake Forest ranks 105th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake Forest's Asian population has grown by an estimated 12.0%. Asian residents' share of Lake Forest's population has increased from 5.8% to 6.4%.

Lake Forest is more Asian than neighboring Knollwood (1.8% Asian), and Highwood (2.1% Asian). Lake Forest is less Asian than neighboring Lake Bluff (6.5% Asian), Bannockburn (6.7% Asian), and Mettawa (10.1% Asian).

Lake Forest's Hispanic Population

1,182 residents of Lake Forest, or 6.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Lake Forest is considerably lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. Lake Forest ranks 532nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake Forest's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 29.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Lake Forest's population has increased from 4.7% to 6.1%.

Lake Forest is more Hispanic than neighboring Mettawa (4.1% Hispanic). Lake Forest is less Hispanic than neighboring Lake Bluff (6.2% Hispanic), Bannockburn (10.5% Hispanic), Knollwood (18.8% Hispanic), and Highwood (36.6% Hispanic).

Lake Forest's Native American/Other Population

177 residents of Lake Forest, or 0.9% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Lake Forest is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Lake Forest ranks 670th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake Forest's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 115.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Lake Forest's population has increased from 0.4% to 0.9%.

Lake Forest is more Native American/Other than neighboring Lake Bluff (0% Native American/Other), Knollwood (0% Native American/Other), Highwood (0% Native American/Other), and Mettawa (0% Native American/Other). Lake Forest is less Native American/Other than neighboring Bannockburn (2.6% Native American/Other).

Lake Forest's Multiracial Population

1,046 residents of Lake Forest, or 5.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Lake Forest is slightly higher than in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. Lake Forest ranks 795th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 1,461 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake Forest's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 62.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Lake Forest's population has increased from 3.3% to 5.4%.

Lake Forest is more Multiracial than neighboring Lake Bluff (3.7% Multiracial), Bannockburn (1.6% Multiracial), Knollwood (0% Multiracial), Highwood (3.2% Multiracial), and Mettawa (1.5% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.