Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 45/100
D
Median home value$584,800
Riverside $536,300
Median rent$1,914/mo
Riverside $1,846/mo
Cost-burdened households43%
Riverside 41%
Riverside
Riverside County319,069 residents2 school districts
54
C−
Suburbgrade score
9th of 60 Riverside suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by commute & transport.
54
Riverside median 47
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Riverside yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 54 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Riverside is like to live in, by category
Bars show Riverside against Riverside. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 52/100
D+
Within-state proficiency51st pct
Riverside median 36th pct
Student–teacher ratio23.1
Riverside median 22.9
Graduation rate94%
Riverside median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 72/100
B−
Housing cost index101
Riverside 100
Eff. tax rate0.68%
Riverside 0.79%
Local sales tax8.75%
Riverside median 8.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 43/100
D
Mean commute31.3 min
Riverside 33.2 min
Under 30 minutes53%
Riverside 53%
Transit stops / sq mi11
Riverside median 1.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 72/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés91
Riverside median 23 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Riverside median 3 · within 2 miles
Parks21
Riverside median 19 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 45/100
D
Median household income$91,045
Riverside $89,662
Unemployment6.3%
Riverside 6.8%
Professional occupations33%
Riverside 33%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Riverside yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Riverside on commute & transport
Riverside's weakest grade is D. Four suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Loma Linda11 mi from RiversideB 59 C Redlands15 mi from RiversideC+ 62 C Grand Terrace8 mi from RiversideC 50 D+ Colton9 mi from RiversideD+ 47 D Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Riverside
Is Riverside, CA a good place to live?
Riverside scores 54 out of 100, 9th of 60 Riverside suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Riverside expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $584,800, 9% above the Riverside median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.68%. $1,914/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Riverside?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving Riverside sit at the 51st pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 94% graduation rate and a 23.1 student–teacher ratio. Riverside is served by Riverside Unified and Alvord Unified School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Riverside?
The mean commute is 31.3 min, with 53% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 11% working from home. Transit density is 11 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Riverside?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 91 restaurants and cafés and 21 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Riverside old or new?
The median home in Riverside was built in 1976 — older than the Riverside median of 1987. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 69% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.