What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for River Forest?
River Forest is ranked #2 of 36 eligible neighborhoods in Lansing; #74 of 334 eligible neighborhoods in MI; and #2,601 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
River Forest
Lansing, MI | Ingham County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
64.5
Stability and Strength
52.8
Value Opportunity
63.6
Momentum
84.8
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Lansing, MI |
| County | Ingham County |
| National rank | #2,601 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #74 of 334 |
| City rank | #2 of 36 |
| County rank | #4 of 47 |
| National percentile | 82.6 |
| National band | TOP_25_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $211,899 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 7.8% |
| Month-over-month home value change | 0.16% |
| Home value to income ratio | 3.36 |
| Median household income | $63,123 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35.0% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 3.1% |
| Homeownership rate | 77.8% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 4.2% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 58.6% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in River Forest
Is River Forest one of the best neighborhoods in Lansing?
River Forest has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 64.5 and a city ranking of #2 of 36 eligible neighborhoods in Lansing.
How much are homes worth in River Forest?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for River Forest is approximately $211,899.
Are home values rising or falling in River Forest?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 7.8% year over year and 0.16% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for River Forest?
River Forest has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 84.8. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in River Forest?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $63,123.
How affordable is River Forest relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 3.36. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is River Forest primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 77.8%.
What is the unemployment rate in River Forest?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 3.1%.
How educated are residents of River Forest?
Approximately 35.0% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in River Forest face high rent burden?
Approximately 58.6% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score River Forest?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications114
Estimated originations72
Home-purchase applications48
Origination rate63.4%
Home-purchase share42.3%
Average application loan$129,843
Total application loan amount$14,811,876
National application rank#3,848 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications -7.9% YoY; originations -11.5% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.