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Norco vs Riverside

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (12.7× in Riverside) and household income (+40% in Norco).

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Norco, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 25,054 people
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Riverside, CAA history townCalifornia · 319,069 people
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.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

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

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,610 more a month in Norco

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.

Norco$5,310/mo
Typical home $920K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $1,925/mo · Housing →
Riverside$3,700/mo
Typical home $645K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.59% · or rent about $1,914/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,610 a month, about $19,400 a year, between Norco and Riverside.

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 California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Where they are

Norco and Riverside share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

NorcoRiversideNorcoRiverside
Norco ↔ Riverside9.1 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
757 Norco residents work in Riverside (6.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Norco →
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
NorcoRiverside
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F43°F
July high95°F95°F
Growing season (days)353d353d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)93rd94th
Outdoors & history
NorcoRiverside
Conserved land4.3%7.9%
Settled19641870
National Register places124
Archive photos—6
Famous people born here—44
Community
NorcoRiverside
Library hours a week43 hrs38 hrs
Colleges in town15
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

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.

NorcoRiverside
People
Population 25,054Lowest 319,069Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.8%Lowest CA: +6.1% +3.7%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 40.3±1.8Highest 6% above CA 33.6±0.5Lowest 11% below CA
Kids under 18 20.3%±2.2Lowest CA: 22% 23.1%±0.7Highest CA: 22%
Riverside and Norco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.6%±1.5Highest CA: 15.7% 12%±0.5Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.1%Lowest CA: 37.1% 25.7%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.9%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6% 11.4%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $127,566±$7kHighest 29% above CA $91,045±$2kLowest 8% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $782,400±$26kHighest 6% above CA $584,800±$6kLowest 20% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,925±$222Highest 5% below CA $1,914±$33Lowest 6% below CA
Norco and Riverside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,978Highest about the CA average $3,428Lowest 33% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 48.2%±8Lowest CA: 55.3% 58.6%±2.4Highest CA: 55.3%
Riverside and Norco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.6%Lowest CA: 12% 12.2%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 81.1%Highest CA: 55.9% 56.8%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Lowest 1 yr older than CA 1976Highest same as CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 37 minHighest 27% above CA 31 minLowest 9% above CA
Work from home 13.4%±2.4Highest CA: 17.2% 10.6%±0.7Lowest CA: 17.2%
Norco and Riverside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 8.2%Lowest 23.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.3 miHighest 13.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.23Highest 1.17Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Corona (8%)Corona (6%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 7% work in RiversideFew work in Norco
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.3%Lowest 7.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 72.8 miLowest 162.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 5.2 miHighest 2.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 18Lowest 58Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 34.3Lowest 76.8Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#479 of 574 in CA
School district Corona-Norco UnifiedRiverside County Office Of Education ROP · REACH Leadership STEAM Academy District
High school in town Norco HighMartin Luther King Jr. High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.5Lowest 24.1Highest
California 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.

Norco neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Norco’s Town Square.

Riverside neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Rainy Day in Riverside

1 neighbor in Riverside can answer.

Add a town

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Bordering Norco

Towns like Norco

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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