Riverside, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Riverside, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Riverside | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 315,330 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3871.1 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.03% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 31.9 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 93,781 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Riverside grew by 9.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 315,330 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Riverside is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 27.8% of residents. That is 6.1 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 87,673 27.8% +6.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 74,241 23.5% -0.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 56,442 17.9% -2.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 36,571 11.6% -3.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.0% of the people living in Riverside and men 50.0%.
- Women 50.0% California 49.9%
- Men 50.0% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Riverside
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Riverside has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Riverside | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $91,104 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.72% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Riverside is about 8% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Riverside | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $564,803 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,911 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 56.7% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Riverside is about 24.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,911 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Riverside spend about 53 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 222 hours, about 9.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Riverside | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.7 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 53.3 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 222 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,887 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.6% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 51,085 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,023 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Riverside is 27 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Riverside has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Riverside | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.9% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.21 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Riverside has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Riverside | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.6 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.6% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.6% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Riverside, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
How Riverside, CA compares with the 1 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside, CA | 315,330 | $91,104 #2/2 | $564,803 #1/2 | 26.7 min #1/2 |
| Jurupa Valley, CA | 112,380 | $97,309 | $502,249 | 27.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Riverside, California.
What is the population of Riverside, California?
About 315,330 people live in Riverside, California, in 93,781 households of 3.2 people on average. The median age is 31.9, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Riverside, California?
Averaged over its land area, Riverside, California has 3,871 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 45 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Riverside, California?
The median home costs 6.2 times the median household income ($564,803 against $91,104), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,911 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Riverside, California have a college degree?
20.9% of adults in Riverside, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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