Population 4,438 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Forestdale
Household size in Forestdale
| Period | Forestdale | Hammond | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.54 | 2.75 | 2.79 | 2.57 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.37 | 2.81 | 2.82 | 2.59 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.33 | 2.71 | 2.75 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.62 | 2.72 | 2.66 | 2.54 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.08 | −0.03 | −0.12 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Households in Forestdale average 2.62 people, about the same as the country as a whole (2.65). The typical household here is smaller than in Hammond as a whole, where it has 2.72 people.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Forestdale
| Period | Forestdale | Hammond | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.6 | 33.7 | 36.8 | 37.5 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 35.8 | 34.5 | 37.8 | 38.4 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 38.9 | 35.8 | 38.9 | 39.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 31.2 | 36.0 | 39.7 | 39.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | −6.3 | +2.3 | +3.0 | +1.7 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 31.2, Forestdale is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young adults and children. The median age has dropped from 37.6 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Forestdale
| Period | Forestdale | Hammond | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 17.8% | 18.7% | 12.0% | 11.8% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 13.1% | 19.4% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 15.4% | 18.9% | 11.2% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 18.3% | 20.1% | 11.5% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.5 pts | +1.4 pts | −0.5 pts | −0.1 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in six households in Forestdale (18.3%), well above the national share of 11.6%. Still, single parents are less common here than in Hammond overall (20.1%).
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Forestdale
Renters in Forestdale
| Period | Forestdale | Hammond | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 41.6% | 37.8% | 32.1% | 28.5% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 44.8% | 39.0% | 34.8% | 30.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 38.5% | 39.8% | 35.5% | 30.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 50.7% | 38.6% | 34.5% | 29.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | +9.0 pts | +0.8 pts | +2.3 pts | +1.0 pts | +1.5 pts |
Most households in Forestdale rent: 50.7% of occupied homes are rented, far above the national share of 34.8%. Expect more apartments, and more turnover, than in owner-heavy areas. About four in ten owners (40.6%) have paid off their mortgages, about the same as nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Forestdale
| Period | Forestdale | Hammond | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.7% | 13.8% | 9.8% | 11.2% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 5.8% | 13.4% | 9.8% | 11.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 12.8% | 12.0% | 8.9% | 10.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 6.0% | 10.6% | 7.2% | 9.3% | 9.6% |
| Change | −5.8 pts | −3.2 pts | −2.6 pts | −2.0 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in Forestdale than nationally: 6.0%, against 9.6% for the U.S.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Forestdale
| Period | Forestdale | Hammond | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1958 | 1950 | 1966 | 1972 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1952 | 1950 | 1967 | 1973 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1954 | 1951 | 1967 | 1974 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1961 | 1954 | 1970 | 1977 | 1980 |
| Change | +3 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 |
Forestdale is a place of older homes: half were built before 1961, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. Still, homes here are newer than in Hammond overall, where the median home dates to 1954.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Forestdale
| Period | Forestdale | Hammond | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $802 | $747 | $1,060 | $763 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $916 | $830 | $1,142 | $819 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $902 | $925 | $1,306 | $903 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,329 | $1,161 | $1,602 | $1,146 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$526 | +$414 | +$542 | +$384 | +$606 |
Rent in Forestdale runs $1,329 a month at the median, utilities included, below the U.S. median of $1,571. Locally, though, rents here are higher than in Hammond overall ($1,161). Rent takes 34.7% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Forestdale
Bachelor's degrees in Forestdale
| Period | Forestdale | Hammond | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.4% | 12.0% | 33.9% | 23.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 21.0% | 13.6% | 35.2% | 24.6% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 18.7% | 13.7% | 37.9% | 27.1% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 32.2% | 16.7% | 40.9% | 30.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +15.9 pts | +4.7 pts | +7.0 pts | +6.2 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are a little less common in Forestdale than nationally: 32.2% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. Still, the share is higher than in Hammond overall (16.7%).
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Forestdale
| Period | Forestdale | Hammond | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 84.2% | 77.1% | 85.6% | 86.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 85.1% | 78.7% | 86.7% | 87.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 90.1% | 81.4% | 88.4% | 88.7% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 88.8% | 82.2% | 89.5% | 89.9% | 89.3% |
| Change | +4.5 pts | +5.1 pts | +3.9 pts | +3.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
About as many adults in Forestdale have finished high school as nationally: 88.8%, against 89.3%. The rate is higher than in Hammond overall (82.2%).
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Forestdale
| Period | Forestdale | Hammond | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.5% | 11.6% | 9.1% | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 11.4% | 14.0% | 10.8% | 8.9% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.0% | 7.9% | 6.3% | 4.9% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.5% | 7.0% | 6.3% | 4.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −8.0 pts | −4.6 pts | −2.8 pts | −4.1 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Forestdale runs below the national rate: 3.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Forestdale compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forestdale | 2.62 | 31.2 | 18.3% | 50.7% | 6.0% | 1961 | $1,329 | 32.2% | 88.8% | 3.5% |
| Turner-Meyn Park | 2.75 | 41.3 | 20.3% | 22.5% | 7.7% | 1958 | $1,354 | 12.6% | 81.2% | 6.3% |
| Columbia Center | 2.50 | 30.9 | 25.1% | 53.9% | 5.3% | 1971 | $1,007 | 12.7% | 80.6% | 4.5% |
| South Hammond | 2.35 | 42.5 | 12.7% | 32.0% | 13.5% | 1944 | $1,285 | 14.7% | 82.3% | 3.2% |
| Central Hammond | 2.67 | 42.1 | 26.0% | 48.9% | 17.0% | 1948 | $997 | 9.4% | 73.5% | 7.6% |
| Hollywood | 2.59 | 40.3 | 11.9% | 20.2% | 8.0% | 1961 | $1,226 | 42.2% | 96.0% | 3.8% |
| Fairmeadow | 2.53 | 42.0 | 11.3% | 10.7% | 2.8% | 1966 | $1,652 | 57.5% | 97.5% | 10.2% |
| North Hammond | 3.12 | 32.5 | 16.8% | 51.9% | 15.7% | 1943 | $1,039 | 13.7% | 69.4% | 6.4% |
| Brunswick | 2.60 | 35.0 | 37.8% | 57.4% | 17.7% | 1962 | $1,089 | 11.1% | 83.0% | 6.1% |
| Bernice | 2.43 | 35.2 | 23.5% | 35.7% | 5.8% | 1960 | $1,290 | 18.6% | 94.3% | 10.6% |
| Pulaski Park | 2.66 | 35.3 | 19.0% | 28.2% | 15.2% | 1946 | $893 | 12.9% | 76.7% | 8.9% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: West Side, Charleston, WV · Tallulah-North Shore, Jacksonville, FL · Hobart Circle Historic District, Troy, OH · Highlands, Boise, ID · Friends of Friedrich Wilderness Park, San Antonio, TX · Forest Glen, Silver Spring, MD · Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC · Wallhaven, Akron, OH · Waterfront, Boston, MA · West End Park, Rockville, MD
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Forestdale. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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