Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Riverside’s subject grades are an A− for incomes and health and an A for civic life; the weakest is a C− for schools. Riverside’s average trip to work is 33 minutes, against 19 minutes in Iowa’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only 2 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Riverside. St. Mary's Parish Church Buildings is on the National Register of Historic Places. Riverside has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Riverside beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Riverside is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 412 in 1880, 1,060 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1996 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Riverside, 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 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Riverside.
Most working residents leave Riverside for work: only 8% work in town. Since 2013, Riverside has added 80 jobs, to 839 in 2023. The top destinations are Iowa City (25%), Kalona (7%) and Cedar Rapids (6%).
| Riverside | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 7.6% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $84,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Highland Community School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 242 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
The typical Riverside home is worth about $353,000, up 6.2% in a year, 49% above the Iowa typical home. 81% of Riverside households own their home, where Iowa’s towns sit at 70% and U.S. towns at 73%.
| Riverside | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $918 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Riverside beats the Iowa average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 23% of Riverside adults binge drink.
| Riverside | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Riverside | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.4% | 12% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.6% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Riverside has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 13° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 41% of residents (37% statewide). The median age in Riverside is 42.6 years. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| Riverside | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 42.6 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 19% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.6 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 71% are men (IA 51%).
| Riverside | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.6% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.4% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.7% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.8% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.9% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.5% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.7% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.3% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.7% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.2% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.1% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hall Park | — | 17 |
| 2. Iowa Township Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Railroad Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Riverside. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Stadium & arenaKinnick Stadium
17 mi MuseumHerbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
13 mi Stadium & arenaCarver–Hawkeye Arena
17 mi National Historic SiteHerbert Hoover National Historic Site107K visitors a year
34 mi MuseumNational Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
13 mi MuseumUniversity of Iowa Stanley Museum of ArtKinnick Stadium: Count_de_Des_Moines (talk) (Uploads), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum: Shadow2700, Public domain · Carver–Hawkeye Arena: Asolsma1988, CC0 · Herbert Hoover National Historic Site: Billwhittaker, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library: ArtisticAbode, CC BY-SA 3.0 · University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Riverside
About 3 of every 100 Riverside residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where Riverside’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Iowa, United States
Riverside is a city in rural Washington County, Iowa, United States, along the English River on Iowa Highway 22. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,060 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Highland Community School District. Riverside proclaimed itself the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, a fictional character from the science fiction series Star Trek, with the agreement of series creator Gene Roddenberry. Canonically, Kirk will have been born on March 22, 2228.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($75,088 across the Iowa City, IA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
