Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 39,357, settled in 1922.
Riviera Beach grades D overall, ranked 557th of 634 in Florida, mostly because of safety. Its police reported 322 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 96% of U.S. towns. What it does well: it is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. Riviera Beach’s violent crime rate is 8 per 1,000 residents, where Florida’s towns sit at 2.1 and U.S. towns at 1.6. The typical home is worth about $410K, 5.4 years of the Miami metro’s $77K median household income. Among 132 Florida towns, just 8 have a higher property crime rate than Riviera Beach.
Where Riviera Beach beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
32,488 counted in 2010 and 37,604 in 2020; an estimated 39,357 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Riviera Beach is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 91% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 4%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 811 in 1930, 37,604 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 3 maps from 1946 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Riviera Beach. Close and well known come first.
5 mi MuseumFlagler Museum
28 mi Stadium & arenaFAU Stadium
6 mi MuseumNorton Museum of Art16 mi Zoo & aquariumLion Country Safari
25 mi MuseumMorikami Museum and Japanese Gardens8 mi Zoo & aquariumPalm Beach ZooFlagler Museum: Roger Wollstadt from Sarasota, Florida, CC BY-SA 2.0 · FAU Stadium: Jerseydem, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Norton Museum of Art: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens: Fragments at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Riviera Beach, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Riviera Beach.
Riviera Beach has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Florida rate and scores below Lake Park and its other neighbors on health.
Violent crime runs at 8 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Florida rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 26 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Florida rate, most of it theft.
Riviera Beach reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Palm Beach school district. Three of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John F. Kennedy Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 821 | C− |
| Suncoast Community High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,522 | A+ |
| Bodwell AcademyTop results in townGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 49 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
3.2 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Wells Recreational Center, at 22 acres.
| Riviera Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wells Recreational Center | 0.8 mi | 22 |
| 2. Ocean Reef Park | 0.4 mi | 11 |
| 3. Washington Park | 0.3 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
All 6 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Lake Park (B−) to Palm Beach Gardens (A).
Riviera Beach beats the Florida average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 12% of Riviera Beach adults binge drink.
| Riviera Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 23% |
| What stands out | Riviera Beach | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.5% | 14.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.4% | 9.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.2% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 57.8°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.8°. The Loxahatchee Nwr weather station, 21 miles away, records that about 66 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 78% of Florida places with climate records.
Riviera Beach has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Riviera Beach is 58°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Riviera Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 58°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Riviera Beach for work: only 9% work in town. 18% of residents live below the poverty line in Riviera Beach. Jobs based in Riviera Beach grew to 22,333 in 2023, 4,819 more than in 2013.
| Riviera Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.1% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 92 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Riviera Beach.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Riviera Beach’s median rent is $1,702 a month. The typical Riviera Beach home is worth about $410,000, up 1.5% in a year, 9% above the Florida typical home.
| Riviera Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,702 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Florida average. Riviera Beach has grown 4.6% since 2020, to 39,357 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Florida.
| Riviera Beach | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 39.5 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 20% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 40.7, men 38.5.
| Riviera Beach | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.3% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.3% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.7% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.3% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.1% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.4% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.3% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.6% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.3% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
5 within 15 miles of the center of Riviera Beach
About 5 of every 100 Riviera Beach residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Florida.
7 notable people were born in Riviera Beach.
City in Florida, United States
Riviera Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, which was incorporated on September 29, 1922. Due to the location of its eastern boundary, it is also the easternmost municipality in the Miami metropolitan area. In the 2020 U.S. census, the total population of Riviera Beach residents was 37,604 people. Riviera Beach is predominantly an African-American city and it is on the list of U.S. cities with African American majority populations. It is home to the Port of Palm Beach and a United States Coast Guard station, and has its own marina. Riviera Beach is home to Blue Heron Bridge, one of the country's top-rated beach dive sites. In 2015, Riviera Beach renamed part of Old…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Riviera Beach.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Lake Park (D) is closest.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riviera Beach | #557 | D | D | D− | B+ | C |
| West Palm Beach | #455 | C− | D− | D | B+ | B− |
| Lake Park | #521 | D | D | D− | B+ | B− |
| North Palm Beach | #25 | A− | D− | A− | B+ | A |
| Palm Beach Shores | — | — | D− | C− | B+ | A− |
| Palm Beach Gardens | #115 | B | D− | B− | B+ | A |
| Palm Beach | #81 | B | D− | B− | B+ | A |
Palm Beach Shores has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Riviera Beach with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Riviera Beach grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #557 of 634 in Florida. It grades C for health, D− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
7 notable people were born here, including Devin Hester and Richard Rellford.
