Population 16,411 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Riverside
Household size in Riverside
| Period | Riverside | Providence area | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.24 | 2.53 | 2.52 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.18 | 2.54 | 2.52 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.28 | 2.53 | 2.53 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.26 | 2.49 | 2.49 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.02 | −0.05 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Riverside is a place of small households, averaging 2.26 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Households are largest in the center and smallest in the northeast. Riverside has smaller households than the great majority of Rhode Island cities.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Riverside
| Period | Riverside | Providence area | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 43.3 | 39.5 | 39.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 45.7 | 40.5 | 40.5 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 44.6 | 41.4 | 41.4 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 45.4 | 41.7 | 41.6 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.1 | +2.2 | +2.2 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 45.4, Riverside is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 43.3, in line with the national trend. Residents skew youngest in the center and oldest in the west.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Riverside
| Period | Riverside | Providence area | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.8% | 12.5% | 12.4% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 10.0% | 12.4% | 12.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 6.6% | 11.9% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.1% | 12.1% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.3 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.7 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in twelve households in Riverside (9.1%), below the national share of 11.6%. Since 2006–10, the single-parent share has edged up 1.3 points, even as the national share fell.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Riverside
Renters in Riverside
| Period | Riverside | Providence area | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.4% | 37.0% | 37.5% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 39.6% | 39.0% | 39.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 34.1% | 38.6% | 39.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 37.2% | 36.8% | 36.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | −0.2 pts | −0.1 pts | −1.1 pts | +1.5 pts |
Nearly four in ten households in Riverside rent their homes (37.2%), close to the national share of 34.8%. Nearly a third of owners (32.3%) have paid off their mortgages, below the national share of 39.8%. Rentals cluster in the northwest; owners are most common in the southeast.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Riverside
| Period | Riverside | Providence area | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.9% | 10.3% | 11.1% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.3% | 10.5% | 11.4% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.6% | 10.7% | 12.2% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 5.4% | 7.9% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
| Change | −2.5 pts | −2.4 pts | −1.9 pts | −1.8 pts |
Only 5.4% of homes in Riverside are vacant, far below the national rate of 9.6%, which usually means strong demand for housing. Vacancy has fallen 2.5 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Riverside
| Period | Riverside | Providence area | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1958 | 1959 | 1957 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1957 | 1959 | 1958 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1961 | 1960 | 1959 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1961 | 1962 | 1961 | 1980 |
| Change | +4 | +3 | +4 | +6 |
The housing in Riverside is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1961, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. The Providence area as a whole looks much the same. The median year built has moved up from 1958 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Riverside
| Period | Riverside | Providence area | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $812 | $928 | $941 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $935 | $974 | $988 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $910 | $1,103 | $1,123 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,247 | $1,439 | $1,448 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$435 | +$511 | +$507 | +$606 |
The median renter in Riverside pays $1,247 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rents are up $435 a month from 2006–10, a 54% rise, a slower climb than the nation's. Rent takes 30.3% of the typical renter's income, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. The priciest rents are in the northwest; the most affordable are in the south.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Riverside
Bachelor's degrees in Riverside
| Period | Riverside | Providence area | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 25.8% | 28.5% | 30.4% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 29.2% | 29.6% | 31.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 29.8% | 32.4% | 34.4% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 34.1% | 35.2% | 37.8% | 35.6% |
| Change | +8.3 pts | +6.7 pts | +7.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are about as common in Riverside as nationally: 34.1% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. The share with a degree has risen 8.3 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Riverside
| Period | Riverside | Providence area | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 86.4% | 82.1% | 83.2% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 86.0% | 83.9% | 84.9% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 91.6% | 87.5% | 88.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 92.2% | 88.3% | 89.4% | 89.3% |
| Change | +5.8 pts | +6.2 pts | +6.2 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Riverside is a bit above the national rate: 92.2% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. The share with a diploma is up 5.8 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Riverside
| Period | Riverside | Providence area | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.1% | 8.5% | 8.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 9.3% | 10.0% | 9.9% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.2% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.9% | 5.8% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.2 pts | −2.7 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment runs high in Riverside: 6.9% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Unemployment has edged down 1.2 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Riverside compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | 2.26 | 45.4 | 9.1% | 37.2% | 5.4% | 1961 | $1,247 | 34.1% | 92.2% | 6.9% |
| Barrington | 2.70 | 45.1 | 10.6% | 12.1% | 4.6% | 1955 | $2,196 | 71.6% | 98.1% | 3.0% |
| East Providence | 2.31 | 43.9 | 12.0% | 45.6% | 7.6% | 1955 | $1,307 | 27.4% | 84.0% | 4.4% |
| North Swansea | 3.37 | 46.6 | 2.1% | 2.8% | 3.9% | 1978 | $1,171 | 53.1% | 90.3% | 0.0% |
| Rumford | 2.26 | 46.4 | 7.7% | 35.4% | 4.5% | 1955 | $1,144 | 39.7% | 89.8% | 5.7% |
| Seekonk | 2.64 | 45.2 | 8.8% | 13.1% | 6.2% | 1969 | $1,997 | 42.9% | 92.9% | 5.7% |
| Warwick | 2.36 | 43.8 | 9.8% | 26.4% | 5.2% | 1960 | $1,402 | 31.7% | 92.9% | 5.1% |
| Cranston | 2.53 | 40.6 | 9.0% | 32.5% | 5.3% | 1959 | $1,433 | 36.5% | 90.0% | 6.0% |
| Providence area | 2.49 | 41.7 | 12.1% | 36.8% | 7.9% | 1962 | $1,439 | 35.2% | 88.3% | 5.8% |
| Warren | 2.14 | 48.2 | 6.1% | 38.2% | 8.9% | 1952 | $1,361 | 37.4% | 89.7% | 4.0% |
| Pawtucket | 2.55 | 37.7 | 17.4% | 49.6% | 8.0% | 1948 | $1,243 | 22.7% | 82.4% | 7.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Brockport, NY · Ceiba, PR · Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, CA · Carpinteria, CA · Carmel, NY · Cambridge, MD · Camano Island, WA · Calera, AL · Brownsville, FL · Broussard, LA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Riverside. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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