Lake MathewsCA
In California, this town has 6,527 residents.
What should you know before moving to Lake Mathews?
Lake Mathews’s weakest is hazard risk (D−): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 100% of U.S. communities, with wildfire at the top. Its overall grade, C−, puts it better than nearly a quarter of U.S. towns. That places it 471st of 841 in California. Cost of living is weaker too: the typical home is worth about $761K, 8.5 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income. Schools are its strong suit (B+): its public schools beat just over two thirds of California towns on state tests and graduation. Lake Mathews’ trail network density is 3.6 miles per square mile, where California’s towns sit at 1.0 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Only 55 of California’s 1,063 towns score lower on history. The biggest place to walk is Harford Springs Reserve, 527 acres with 9.7 miles of trail.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap · National Register of Historic Places.
What makes Lake Mathews stand out
Where Lake Mathews beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
99% of working residents leave Lake Mathews for work
Where Lake Mathews’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Lake Mathews grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Lake Mathews is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Disneyland and 74 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Mathews. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw36 mi Theme parkKnott's Berry Farm4.5M visitors a year
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaAngel Stadium of Anaheim
Big draw32 mi Theme parkDisney California Adventure10.1M visitors a year
29 mi Stadium & arenaHonda Center
26 mi MuseumRichard Nixon Presidential Library and MuseumPhoto credits
Disneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Knott's Berry Farm: Phydend at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Angel Stadium of Anaheim: Staff Sgt. Chad McMeen, Public domain · Disney California Adventure: CrispyCream27, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Honda Center: Arnold C (Buchanan-Hermit), Attribution · Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum: The original uploader was Sorcha at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5
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Moving to Lake Mathews: who provides what
Lake Mathews is unincorporated, so Riverside County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lake Mathews.
Lake Mathews has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Riverside and beyond.
Lake Mathews keeps 16.6% of its land conserved
Across 1 park or preserve: 57 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harford Springs Reserve | 9.7 mi | 527 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
In Lake Mathews, the FEMA risk score runs higher than in the typical California or U.S. town
77% of Lake Mathews’s expected losses from natural hazards come from wildfires, followed by inland flooding at 13%. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For most of its workers, the job is outside Lake Mathews
Lake Mathews has 371 jobs for its 2,784 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Riverside (15%), Corona (5%) and Irvine (4%). Most working residents leave Lake Mathews for work: only 1% work in town. Lake Mathews’ mean commuting time is 35 minutes. Also worth knowing: between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 178, to 371.
| Lake Mathews | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.1% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mild winters and hot summers in Lake Mathews
The Riverside Citrus Exp weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 103 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average 45°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.9°.
Lake Mathews’ July high stands at 92°F. It almost never snows.
| Lake Mathews | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 45°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 89°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lake Mathews ranks healthier than 60% of the country’s towns
For adults in Lake Mathews, the share who had a checkup this year is 73%. Against the California average, Lake Mathews comes out ahead on 5 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 4. Two figures for adults locally: 35% have obesity, 11% smoke cigarettes.
| Lake Mathews | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 72% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 29% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 11% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Lake Mathews | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 15.4% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 8.1% | 9.3% |
| More adults with obesity | 35.1% | 27.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes in Lake Mathews sell for about $1.09M
The share of households in Lake Mathews who own their home: 79%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Lake Mathews
Colleges nearby
8 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Mathews
About 5 of every 100 Lake Mathews residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Lake Mathews
Census-designated place in California, United States
Lake Mathews is a census-designated place in the Inland Empire region of Riverside County, California. Lake Mathews sits at an elevation of 1,775 feet (541 m). The 2020 United States census reported Lake Mathews's population was 5,972.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 16 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,775 ft
Lake Mathews’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Lake Mathews.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mathews | #471 | C− | D− | — | B+ | B |
| Woodcrest | #322 | C+ | D | — | B | B |
| Mead Valley | #650 | D | D | — | C+ | C− |
Lake Mathews, Woodcrest and Mead Valley report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lake Mathews with a neighbor →
Questions about Lake Mathews
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Mathews, CA a good place to live?
Lake Mathews grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #471 of 841 in California. It grades B for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Lake Mathews, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $761,000, 0% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.