Riverside, California
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Riverside.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Riverside compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 316,241City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $88,575Incorporated place (ACS)13% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 157ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)57% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $542,100City limits (ACS)79% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,812City limits (ACS)34% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.7%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 32 min28% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 43Near U.S. avg (45)U.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 505.9annualized per 100k · citywide16% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 2937.6annualized per 100k · citywideNear U.S. avg (3084.9)U.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 92°F5.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 44°F10.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 9.4 in71% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 33024% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Riverside with another city
About 316,241 people live in Riverside, CA. Households here report a median income near $88,575; our housing-derived cost index is about 157 (well above the national housing-cost baseline). Entry home prices around $542,100 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Pacific weather, wildfire seasons, and housing scarcity dominate relocation tradeoffs. Roughly 330 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Commutes average near 32 minutes one-way, with walkability near 43/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 4.7% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates near 505.9 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Riverside is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Riverside with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Riverside city, 1600000US0662000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN060650000000003 (Riverside County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00003171 RIVERSIDE MUNI AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28