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Compare towns

Carson vs Riverside

200 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (7.1× in Riverside) and street grid (3.6× in Carson).

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Carson, IAA small town of 834Iowa · 834 people
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Riverside, IAA regional job hubIowa · 890 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

CarsonA small town of 834
Quiet strengthsCarson doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Carson →
RiversideA regional job hub
Work839 jobsbased in Riverside, a regional job hub Housing$352K typical home47% above the IA typical home HistorySettled in 18721 place on the National Register All about Riverside →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker7.1×
Riverside is more of a job hub
Riverside 1.63Carson 0.23
Street grid3.6×
Carson has the more walkable street grid
Carson 132Riverside 37.0
Growth since 2010+12.4 pts
Riverside has grown faster since 2010
Riverside +6.7%Carson -5.7%
Age 65++7 pts
Carson has more people 65 and up
Carson 23.1%Riverside 16.1%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $620 more a month in Riverside

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Carson$1,680/mo
Typical home $261K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.42% · or rent about $744/mo · Housing →
Riverside$2,300/mo
Typical home $352K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.56% · or rent about $918/mo · Housing →

The difference: $620 a month, about $7,500 a year, between Riverside and Carson.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Iowa ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
C+CarsonBetter than 43% of districts in the state B−RiversideBetter than 47% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
CarsonRiverside
Snow a year28″28″
January low12°F12°F
July high85°F84°F
Growing season (days)174d162d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)56th53rd
Outdoors & history
CarsonRiverside
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land0%4.9%
Settled18811872
National Register places—1
Archive photos—6
Community
CarsonRiverside
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

200 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CarsonIARiversideIA
Carson ↔ Riverside200 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

CarsonRiverside
People
Population 834Lowest 890Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -5.7%Lowest IA: +4.7% +6.7%Highest IA: +4.7%
Median age 41.8±6.5Lowest 8% above IA 42.6±7.2Highest 10% above IA
Riverside and Carson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.9%±4Highest IA: 22.9% 21%±6Lowest IA: 22.9%
Carson and Riverside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.1%±3.2Highest IA: 18.1% 16.1%±3.2Lowest IA: 18.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.8%Lowest IA: 31.4% 27.2%Highest IA: 31.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±2.3Highest IA: 6.2% 2.5%±1.7Lowest IA: 6.2%
Carson and Riverside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,403±$11kLowest about the IA average $84,091±$13kHighest 12% above IA
Riverside and Carson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $181,400±$14kLowest 13% below IA $183,700±$35kHighest 12% below IA
Riverside and Carson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $744±$190Lowest 23% below IA $918±$245Highest 6% below IA
Riverside and Carson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,575Lowest 11% below IA $2,871Highest about the IA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 36.2%±34.8Highest IA: 43.9% 7.1%±21.1Lowest IA: 43.9%
Carson and Riverside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.3%Highest IA: 11.1% 2.3%Lowest IA: 11.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 82.8%Highest IA: 71.7% 81.1%Lowest IA: 71.7%
Typical home builtmedian year 1963Lowest 9 yrs older than IA 1974Highest 2 yrs newer than IA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minLowest 60% above IA 33 minHighest 65% above IA
Work from home 9%±3.5Lowest IA: 11.3% 15.9%±7.4Highest IA: 11.3%
Riverside and Carson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.4%Lowest 7.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.8 miHighest 13.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.23Lowest 1.63Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Council Bluffs (21%)Iowa City (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RiversideFew work in Carson
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 4.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 132Highest 37.0Lowest
Schools
School district Riverside Comm School DistrictHighland Comm School District
High school in town None in townNone in town
Iowa average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Carson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Carson’s Town Square.

Riverside neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Riverside’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Carson and Riverside

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Carson

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Woodward977 people · $180K homes
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Marcus1,180 people · $200K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Iowa towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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