What’s the best part of Riverside? It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Riverside are the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.
Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Riverside neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?
If you’re thinking of moving to California and Riverside is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2026.
$120,340 median income · $478,844 median home value
$153,425 median income · $716,300 median home value
$110,172 median income · $440,117 median home value
$96,145 median income · $475,387 median home value
$147,254 median income · $562,050 median home value
$78,981 median income · $401,700 median home value
$71,377 median income · $365,620 median home value
$93,451 median income · $440,933 median home value
$111,908 median income · $426,025 median home value
$67,567 median income · $340,321 median home value
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
California statewide median: $99,122
California statewide median: $774,582
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Riverside, CA neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Riverside, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 28 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Riverside.” We’re lookin’ at you, Orangecrest.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Riverside, California has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Riverside.
The full plate
Table: Best Riverside neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orangecrest | 22,794 | $478,844 | $120,340 |
| 2 | Alessandro Heights | 3,739 | $716,300 | $153,425 |
| 3 | Victoria | 9,567 | $440,117 | $110,172 |
| 4 | Canyon Crest | 16,782 | $475,387 | $96,145 |
| 5 | Hawarden Hills | 2,134 | $562,050 | $147,254 |
| 6 | Wood Streets | 7,159 | $401,700 | $78,981 |
| 7 | Presidential Park | 5,547 | $365,620 | $71,377 |
| 8 | Arlington Heights | 5,060 | $440,933 | $93,451 |
| 9 | Mission Grove | 9,682 | $426,025 | $111,908 |
| 10 | Ramona | 28,966 | $340,321 | $67,567 |
| 11 | La Sierra South | 14,828 | $344,817 | $93,569 |
| 12 | Airport | 10,352 | $353,125 | $74,504 |
| 13 | La Sierra Acres | 12,761 | $360,457 | $75,718 |
| 14 | Arlington South | 4,846 | $405,400 | $71,204 |
| 15 | Sycamore Canyon Park | 309 | $426,600 | $108,158 |
| 16 | Arlanza | 24,689 | $321,487 | $63,132 |
| 17 | Arlington | 10,768 | $327,450 | $56,786 |
| 18 | La Sierra Hills | 5,672 | $402,800 | $89,633 |
| 19 | La Sierra | 39,681 | $329,070 | $69,816 |
| 20 | Northside | 9,866 | $331,840 | $86,623 |
| 21 | Grand | 6,151 | $378,125 | $74,059 |
| 22 | Magnolia Center | 15,220 | $338,820 | $70,559 |
| 23 | Canyon Springs | 2,099 | $382,567 | $83,572 |
| 24 | Downtown | 10,100 | $358,871 | $62,962 |
| 25 | Casablanca | 4,348 | $342,360 | $65,430 |
| 26 | Eastside | 15,833 | $341,364 | $63,206 |
| 27 | University | 21,680 | $322,612 | $45,533 |
| 28 | Hunter Industrial Park | 5,609 | $253,300 | $50,537 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 28 Riverside neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Riverside
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Riverside where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Riverside are Orangecrest, Alessandro Heights, Victoria, Canyon Crest, Hawarden Hills, Wood Streets, Presidential Park, Arlington Heights, Mission Grove, and Ramona.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Riverside aren’t all good. Hunter Industrial Park takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Riverside.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on California? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Riverside FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Riverside?
Orangecrest is the best neighborhood in Riverside for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Alessandro Heights and Victoria are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Riverside?
The best neighborhoods in Riverside are Orangecrest, Alessandro Heights, Victoria, Canyon Crest, Hawarden Hills, Wood Streets, Presidential Park, Arlington Heights, Mission Grove, and Ramona. We ranked all 28 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is Orangecrest?
The median household income in Orangecrest is $120,340 and the median home costs $478,844. The best blocks in Riverside rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Riverside neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, Orangecrest, takes the top spot.
Which Riverside neighborhood ranked last?
Hunter Industrial Park came in last of the 28 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Riverside the numbers put it there.
