Riverside’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Riverside.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in California thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Riverside. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Riverside neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Riverside hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 28 of Riverside’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$50,537 median income
$45,533 median income
$63,206 median income
$65,430 median income
$62,962 median income
$83,572 median income
$70,559 median income
$74,059 median income
$86,623 median income
$69,816 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
California statewide median: $774,582
California statewide median: $99,122
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Riverside neighborhoods in 2026
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Riverside:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Riverside, California for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Riverside.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all 28 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Riverside for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunter Industrial Park | 5,609 | $253,300 | $50,537 |
| 1 | University | 21,680 | $322,612 | $45,533 |
| 3 | Eastside | 15,833 | $341,364 | $63,206 |
| 4 | Casablanca | 4,348 | $342,360 | $65,430 |
| 5 | Downtown | 10,100 | $358,871 | $62,962 |
| 6 | Canyon Springs | 2,099 | $382,567 | $83,572 |
| 7 | Magnolia Center | 15,220 | $338,820 | $70,559 |
| 8 | Grand | 6,151 | $378,125 | $74,059 |
| 9 | Northside | 9,866 | $331,840 | $86,623 |
| 10 | La Sierra | 39,681 | $329,070 | $69,816 |
| 11 | La Sierra Hills | 5,672 | $402,800 | $89,633 |
| 12 | Arlington | 10,768 | $327,450 | $56,786 |
| 13 | Arlanza | 24,689 | $321,487 | $63,132 |
| 14 | Sycamore Canyon Park | 309 | $426,600 | $108,158 |
| 15 | Arlington South | 4,846 | $405,400 | $71,204 |
| 16 | La Sierra Acres | 12,761 | $360,457 | $75,718 |
| 17 | La Sierra South | 14,828 | $344,817 | $93,569 |
| 17 | Airport | 10,352 | $353,125 | $74,504 |
| 19 | Ramona | 28,966 | $340,321 | $67,567 |
| 20 | Mission Grove | 9,682 | $426,025 | $111,908 |
| 21 | Presidential Park | 5,547 | $365,620 | $71,377 |
| 21 | Arlington Heights | 5,060 | $440,933 | $93,451 |
| 23 | Wood Streets | 7,159 | $401,700 | $78,981 |
| 24 | Hawarden Hills | 2,134 | $562,050 | $147,254 |
| 25 | Canyon Crest | 16,782 | $475,387 | $96,145 |
| 26 | Victoria | 9,567 | $440,117 | $110,172 |
| 27 | Alessandro Heights | 3,739 | $716,300 | $153,425 |
| 28 | Orangecrest | 22,794 | $478,844 | $120,340 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 28 Riverside neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Riverside
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Riverside with Hunter Industrial Park landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Riverside are Hunter Industrial Park, University, Eastside, Casablanca, Downtown, Canyon Springs, Magnolia Center, Grand, Northside, and La Sierra.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Riverside aren’t all bad. Orangecrest takes the cake as the best place to live in Riverside.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best 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
Worst Neighborhoods In Riverside FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Riverside?
Hunter Industrial Park ranks as the worst neighborhood in Riverside for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. University and Eastside are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Riverside?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Riverside are Hunter Industrial Park, University, Eastside, Casablanca, Downtown, Canyon Springs, Magnolia Center, Grand, Northside, and La Sierra. We scored all 28 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does Hunter Industrial Park rank as the worst?
Hunter Industrial Park posts the roughest combined numbers in Riverside: a median household income of $50,537 and a median home value of $253,300, with crime, unemployment, and density folded into the score.
Are these neighborhoods dangerous everywhere?
No. The scores are neighborhood-wide averages, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. Plenty of people live in these neighborhoods without incident; the numbers just say the odds run tougher.
How do you rank the worst neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on crime, unemployment, income, density, and home values, using Census tract and FBI data. The worst combined score tops the list.
