Best PlacesUniversity, Riverside, CA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University, Riverside, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
University, Riverside ranks 4,708th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. Air quality pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on the weather.
The best neighborhoods in University, Riverside
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.
University, Riverside's strengths and weaknesses
Where University, Riverside ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 217 pleasant days a year, better than 89% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 66% of neighborhoods
Where University, Riverside ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in University, Riverside
A household needs to earn about $121,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University, Riverside home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $69,860, 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 University, Riverside's effective rate of 0.74%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in University, Riverside
University, Riverside runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for University, Riverside.
Who works in University, Riverside, and how
Work in University, Riverside centers on education and hospitality & food. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 64%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 25%
Life in University, Riverside
University, Riverside has more restaurants and bars per resident than 71% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 44 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of University, Riverside and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University, Riverside, month by month
University, Riverside sees roughly 217 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 69, with lows near 43. The comfortable stretch runs September through June.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 69° | 56° | 43° |
| April | 80° | 63° | 50° |
| July | 97° | 78° | 64° |
| October | 87° | 70° | 56° |
Flying in and out of University, Riverside
The nearest airport, San Bernardino International, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ontario International, about 16 miles away.
The best schools in and around University, Riverside
Schools across University, Riverside average a C+, better than 58% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Emerson ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Highland ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University, Riverside school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University, Riverside 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 University, Riverside against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who University, Riverside suits
Common questions about living in University, Riverside
Is University, Riverside a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University, Riverside ranks 4,708th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on the weather, cell coverage, and big-city access, and lowest on air quality and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is University, Riverside expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $466,373. The overall cost of living runs about 15% above the national average. Set against a $69,860 median income, cost of living beats 19% of neighborhoods.
Is University, Riverside safe?
University, Riverside is safer than 54% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $495 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in University, Riverside?
July highs average about 97 degrees, and January highs near 69 with lows near 43. That works out to about 217 pleasant days a year, more than 89% of neighborhoods.
Is University, Riverside good for families?
Schools beat 58% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 54%, and childcare runs $1,337 a month.
Compare University, Riverside with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University, Riverside. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University, Riverside 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.
University, Riverside detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University, Riverside: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University, Riverside: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University, Riverside: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University, Riverside: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University, Riverside 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.