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Ontario vs Riverside

14 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (11.2× in Riverside) and work in town (+8.1 pts in Riverside).

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Ontario, CAA college townCalifornia · 180,547 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 differ most

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

★ What stands out · Report cards

Riverside places higher on 14 of 23 CA lists

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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Ontario$3,800/mo
Typical home $662K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.60% · or rent about $2,030/mo · Housing →
Riverside$3,700/mo
Typical home $645K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.59% · or rent about $1,914/mo · Housing →

The difference: $100 a month, about $1,200 a year, between Ontario 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.

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
OntarioRiverside
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F43°F
July high90°F95°F
Growing season (days)354d353d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)98th94th
Outdoors & history
OntarioRiverside
Conserved land1%7.9%
Settled—1870
National Register places524
Archive photos66
Famous people born here4444
Community
OntarioRiverside
Library hours a week64 hrs38 hrs
Colleges in town55
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.

Where they are

14 miles apart

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

OntarioRiversideOntarioRiverside
Ontario ↔ Riverside14 miles apart
Who commutes between them
5,020 Riverside residents work in Ontario (3.9% of its workers)
1,911 Ontario residents work in Riverside (2.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Riverside →
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.

OntarioRiverside
People
Population 180,547Lowest 319,069Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.9%Highest CA: +6.1% +3.7%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 33.5±0.7Lowest 12% below CA 33.6±0.5Highest 11% below CA
Riverside and Ontario are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.4%±1Highest CA: 22% 23.1%±0.7Lowest CA: 22%
Ontario and Riverside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 10.5%±0.6Lowest CA: 15.7% 12%±0.5Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.5%Lowest CA: 37.1% 25.7%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.2%±0.7Lowest CA: 7.6% 11.4%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $88,941±$4kLowest 10% below CA $91,045±$2kHighest 8% below CA
Riverside and Ontario are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $607,600±$7kHighest 17% below CA $584,800±$6kLowest 20% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,030±$50Highest about the CA average $1,914±$33Lowest 6% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,638Highest 29% below CA $3,428Lowest 33% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.7%±3.6Highest CA: 55.3% 58.6%±2.4Lowest CA: 55.3%
Ontario and Riverside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.4%Highest CA: 12% 12.2%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58%Highest CA: 55.9% 56.8%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1980Highest 4 yrs newer than CA 1976Lowest same as CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 10% above CA 31 minLowest 9% above CA
Work from home 9.1%±0.9Lowest CA: 17.2% 10.6%±0.7Highest CA: 17.2%
Riverside and Ontario are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 15.3%Lowest 23.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.3 miHighest 13.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.74Highest 1.17Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (7%)Corona (6%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in Riverside4% work in Ontario
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1%Lowest 7.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 14.5 miLowest 162.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 2.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 34Lowest 58Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 69.8Lowest 76.8Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #161 of 574 in CA#479 of 574 in CA
School district Baldy View ROP · Chaffey Joint Union HighRiverside County Office Of Education ROP · REACH Leadership STEAM Academy District
High school in town Chaffey HighMartin Luther King Jr. High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.4Lowest 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.

Ontario neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ontario’s Town Square.

Riverside neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Rainy Day in Riverside

1 neighbor in Riverside can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Ontario and Riverside

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

Bordering Ontario

Towns like Ontario

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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