Melrose, MA vs Oak Forest, IL

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Melrose

67.3

#1438 nationally

Oak Forest

77.2

#270 nationally

Melrose leads in walk score (62 vs 36). Oak Forest leads in cost of living index (104 vs 167). Melrose leads in median household income ($126,305 vs $89,758).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Melrose, MA	Oak Forest, IL
WhereAtHome Score	67.3 (#1438)	77.2 (#270)
Population	29,357	26,199
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$930,823	$303,574
Median Household Income	$126,305	$89,758
Average Commute	37.1 min	32.3 min
Walk Score	62	36
Crime Level	2.8	2.4
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	167	104
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+39.5	D+42.0