Best PlacesRiver Pines, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around River Pines, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
River Pines ranks 29,968th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in River Pines
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
River Pines' strengths and weaknesses
Where River Pines ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 168 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of towns
- Big-city accessBetter than 89% of towns
- QuietBetter than 88% of towns
- Local economyBetter than 86% of towns
- Educational attainmentBetter than 86% of towns
Where River Pines ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 7% of towns
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 8% of towns
- Short commute37.6 minutes each way, better than only 8% of towns
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 11% of towns
- Crime safetyBetter than only 14% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in River Pines
A household needs to earn about $116,000 a year to comfortably buy the median River Pines home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $96,694, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses River Pines' effective rate of 0.56%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in River Pines
River Pines's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for River Pines.
Who works in River Pines, and how
Work in River Pines centers on education and agriculture & forestry. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in River Pines
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across River Pines.
What the weather is like in River Pines, month by month
River Pines sees roughly 168 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 53, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 46° | 41° |
| April | 65° | 55° | 47° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 70° |
| October | 73° | 64° | 57° |
Flying in and out of River Pines
Sacramento International sits about 47 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 6.8 million passengers in 2025, with 85 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around River Pines
Schools across River Pines average a C−, better than 22% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Sutter Creek ElementaryC− · 28% proficient
- Walt Tyler ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Plymouth ElementaryD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mountain Creek MiddleC · 33% proficient
- Ione Junior HighD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Union Mine HighB · 46% proficient
- Amador HighC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every River Pines school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
River Pines measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare River Pines against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in River Pines
Is River Pines a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, River Pines ranks 29,968th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on the weather, big-city access, and quiet, and lowest on internet speeds and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is River Pines expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $459,034. The overall cost of living runs about 15% above the national average. Set against a $96,694 median income, cost of living beats 51% of towns.
Is River Pines safe?
River Pines is safer than 14% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $510 per resident a year.
Compare River Pines with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to River Pines. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in River Pines represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
River Pines detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for River Pines: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in River Pines: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of River Pines: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in River Pines: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
River Pines detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.