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Compare towns

Riverside vs Stockton

355 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (2.5× in Riverside) and home values (+33% in Riverside).

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Riverside, CAA history townCalifornia · 319,069 people
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Stockton, CAA history townCalifornia · 322,326 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 $1,200 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.

Riverside$3,700/mo
Typical home $645K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.59% · or rent about $1,914/mo · Housing →
Stockton$2,500/mo
Typical home $427K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.72% · or rent about $1,577/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,200 a month, about $14,400 a year, between Riverside and Stockton.

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

Riverside places higher on 13 of 22 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.

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
RiversideStockton
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F39°F
July high95°F95°F
Growing season (days)353d305d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)94th54th
Outdoors & history
RiversideStockton
Conserved land7.9%3%
Settled18701849
National Register places2417
Archive photos624
Famous people born here4446
Community
RiversideStockton
Library hours a week38 hrs48 hrs
Colleges in town54
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.

Where they are

355 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Riverside ↔ Stockton355 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.

RiversideStockton
People
Population 319,069Lowest 322,326Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.7%Lowest CA: +6.1% +10%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 33.6±0.5Lowest 11% below CA 33.9±0.5Highest 11% below CA
Stockton and Riverside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.1%±0.7Lowest CA: 22% 26.7%±0.6Highest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 12%±0.5Lowest CA: 15.7% 13%±0.5Highest CA: 15.7%
Stockton and Riverside are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 25.7%Highest CA: 37.1% 20%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 11.4%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6% 7%±0.4Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $91,045±$2kHighest 8% below CA $79,907±$2kLowest 19% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $584,800±$6kHighest 20% below CA $440,900±$5kLowest 40% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,914±$33Highest 6% below CA $1,577±$34Lowest 23% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,428Highest 33% below CA $3,174Lowest 38% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 58.6%±2.4Highest CA: 55.3% 55.6%±2.8Lowest CA: 55.3%
Riverside and Stockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.2%Lowest CA: 12% 15.5%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 56.8%Highest CA: 55.9% 53.9%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest same as CA 1980Highest 4 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 minLowest 9% above CA 32 minHighest 10% above CA
Work from home 10.6%±0.7Highest CA: 17.2% 8%±0.7Lowest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 23.4%Lowest 32.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miLowest 17.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.17Highest 0.88Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Corona (6%)Lodi (4%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in StocktonFew work in Riverside
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.9%Highest 3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 162.4 miHighest 65.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.0 miHighest 1.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 58Highest 56Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 76.8Lowest 97.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #479 of 574 in CA#308 of 574 in CA
School district Riverside County Office Of Education ROP · REACH Leadership STEAM Academy DistrictSan Joaquin County ROP · Stockton Collegiate International Secondary District
High school in town Martin Luther King Jr. HighLincoln High
Students per teacherat that high school 24.1Highest 20.9Lowest
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.

Stockton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Stockton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Riverside and Stockton

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

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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