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Riverside vs Norco

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

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

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

Riverside and Norco share a border

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

RiversideNorcoRiversideNorco
Riverside ↔ Norco9.1 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
RiversideNorco
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F43°F
July high95°F95°F
Growing season (days)353d353d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)94th93rd
Outdoors & history
RiversideNorco
Conserved land7.9%4.3%
Settled18701964
National Register places241
Archive photos6—
Famous people born here44—
Community
RiversideNorco
Library hours a week38 hrs43 hrs
Colleges in town51
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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.

RiversideNorco
People
Population 319,069Highest 25,054Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.7%Highest CA: +6.1% -2.8%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 33.6±0.5Lowest 11% below CA 40.3±1.8Highest 6% above CA
Kids under 18 23.1%±0.7Highest CA: 22% 20.3%±2.2Lowest CA: 22%
Riverside and Norco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12%±0.5Lowest CA: 15.7% 15.6%±1.5Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.7%Highest CA: 37.1% 22.1%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 11.4%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6% 6.9%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $91,045±$2kLowest 8% below CA $127,566±$7kHighest 29% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $584,800±$6kLowest 20% below CA $782,400±$26kHighest 6% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,914±$33Lowest 6% below CA $1,925±$222Highest 5% 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 $3,428Lowest 33% below CA $4,978Highest about the CA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 58.6%±2.4Highest CA: 55.3% 48.2%±8Lowest 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 12.2%Highest CA: 12% 5.6%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 56.8%Lowest CA: 55.9% 81.1%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest same as CA 1975Lowest 1 yr older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 minLowest 9% above CA 37 minHighest 27% above CA
Work from home 10.6%±0.7Lowest CA: 17.2% 13.4%±2.4Highest 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 23.4%Highest 8.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miLowest 19.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.17Lowest 1.23Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Corona (6%)Corona (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Norco7% work in Riverside
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.9%Highest 4.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 162.4 miHighest 72.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.0 miLowest 5.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 58Highest 18Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 76.8Highest 34.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #479 of 574 in CA—
School district Riverside County Office Of Education ROP · REACH Leadership STEAM Academy DistrictCorona-Norco Unified
High school in town Martin Luther King Jr. HighNorco High
Students per teacherat that high school 24.1Highest 23.5Lowest
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.

Riverside neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Rainy Day in Riverside

1 neighbor in Riverside can answer.

Norco neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Norco’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Riverside and Norco

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Bordering Riverside

Towns like Riverside

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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