Population
Downers Grove
49,867
Wake Forest
51,199
Median Income
Downers Grove
$119,649
Wake Forest
$120,777
Home Value
Downers Grove
$439,000
Wake Forest
$435,000
Rent
Downers Grove
$1,589
Wake Forest
$1,458
Crime Rate
Downers Grove
1.13
Wake Forest
1.47
Cost of Living
Downers Grove
170.2
Wake Forest
168.4
Avg Temp
Downers Grove
N/A
Wake Forest
N/A
Unemployment
Downers Grove
4.0%
Wake Forest
4.5%
How Similar Are Downers Grove & Wake Forest?
Wake Forest is Downers Grove's #10 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Downers Grove
49,867
Wake Forest
51,199
Both cities have similar populations — Downers Grove at 49,867 and Wake Forest at 51,199.
Violent Crime
Downers Grove
1.13
Wake Forest
1.47
Wake Forest has a 23% higher violent crime than Downers Grove.
Property Crime
Downers Grove
8.72
Wake Forest
13.05
Wake Forest has a 33% higher property crime than Downers Grove.
Political Leaning
Downers Grove
42.5%
Wake Forest
36.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Downers Grove has a stronger Democratic lean (14% difference).
Unemployment
Downers Grove
4.0%
Wake Forest
4.5%
Wake Forest has a 13% higher unemployment than Downers Grove.
Median Income
Downers Grove
$119,649
Wake Forest
$120,777
Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.
Home Values
Downers Grove
$439,000
Wake Forest
$435,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 1% difference.
Education
Downers Grove
42.0%
Wake Forest
38.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.
Demographics
Downers Grove
84.4%
Wake Forest
67.3%
Downers Grove has a 20% higher demographics than Wake Forest.
Cost of Living
Downers Grove
170.2
Wake Forest
168.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Downers Grove and Wake Forest share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Downers Grove
0
Wake Forest
Downers Grove leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Wake Forest leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDDowners Grove scores 130.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 184.6 in Wake Forest. Wake Forest scores 183.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 211.3 in Downers Grove. Wake Forest scores 142.0 on the utilities index (100 = national avg) vs 147.1 in Downers Grove.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWake Forest has a median property tax of $3,626 vs $7,237 in Downers Grove (100% lower). Downers Grove has a vacancy rate of 4.3% compared to 5.1% in Wake Forest. Wake Forest has a single-family homes of 79.0% compared to 69.4% in Downers Grove.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Downers Grove leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWake Forest has a poverty rate of 3.0% compared to 4.9% in Downers Grove. Downers Grove has a per capita income of $67,649 vs $49,241 in Wake Forest (37% higher). Downers Grove has a unemployment rate of 4.0% compared to 4.5% in Wake Forest.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Downers Grove leads
Source: FBI UCRWake Forest has a property crime clearance of 13.9% compared to 6.7% in Downers Grove. Downers Grove has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.67 compared to 1.29 in Wake Forest. Downers Grove has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.04 in Wake Forest.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Downers Grove leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauDowners Grove has a high school diploma or higher of 51.8% compared to 47.2% in Wake Forest. Downers Grove has a bachelor's degree or higher of 42.0% compared to 38.4% in Wake Forest.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWake Forest has a population of 51,199, about 1x the size of Downers Grove (49,867). Wake Forest skews younger with a median age of 38.8 vs 42.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Downers Grove
Wake Forest
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDowners Grove: 4 vs Wake Forest: 2 for with emergency services. Wake Forest: 4.5 vs Downers Grove: 4.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDowners Grove has a public transit of 7.8% compared to 0.1% in Wake Forest. Wake Forest has a drive alone of 68.5% compared to 61.9% in Downers Grove. Wake Forest has a work from home of 25.1% compared to 23.2% in Downers Grove.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Downers Grove, IL
Compare Downers Grove against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.