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Riverside
Maryland›Harford County

RiversideMD

A town of 6,585.

2 bordering townsMap →
Sophia's Dairy · Photo: E.H. Pickering, HABS photographer · Public domain
Photo of Riverside

Riverside, MD · Sophia's Dairy · Photo: E.H. Pickering, HABS photographer · Public domain

Is Riverside a good place to live?

Riverside is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 5th of 259 graded towns in Maryland. The median household earns $106K, it is healthier than 79% of U.S. towns, and natural-hazard risk is low. Its lowest mark, a B, is in schools. Only 28 of Maryland’s 328 towns score higher on cost of living. Sophia's Dairy and Fair Meadows is on the National Register of Historic Places.

What makes Riverside stand out

Where Riverside beats most towns.

How Riverside grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Riverside is from typical.

How grading works
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Sophia's Dairy
Sophia's Dairy · National Register of Historic Places
Riverside’s story

Riverside in pictures

Census counts: 6,128 in 2000, 7,021 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 2019 and 5 maps from 1900 on.

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Explore the history →
Getting set up

Moving to Riverside: who provides what

Riverside is unincorporated, so Harford County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerBaltimore Gas & Electric20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHarford County D.p.w. water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesHarford CountyHarford County provides services here
SchoolsHarford County Public SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Maryland you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereHarford County Board of ElectionsHarford County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Mar 2018
ZIP codes21017, 2100121017 82% · 21001 18%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Riverside.

Riverside has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+

Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Riverside

Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 96% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Riverside since 2014.

4risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
4Very low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingHeat wavesHurricanes
1
paid flood claims since 2014

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

SchoolsB

Public schools in Riverside beat 64% of Maryland districts

Its public schools are run by the Harford County Public Schools. Its two schools are below.

64%of MD districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Church Creek ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5Grades PK–5732C+
High Road School of Harford County PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 2–12Grades 2–1244–

NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation

HealthA−

Riverside earns an A− for health

41% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Riverside, above both Maryland’s towns (38%) and U.S. towns (36%). 11% of Riverside adults report frequent physical distress. Riverside beats the Maryland average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.

79%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
RiversideMaryland townsU.S. towns
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)41%38%36%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)11%12%14%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)19%23%25%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)32%35%35%
32 measures vs. Maryland
11 better20 too close to call1 worse
What stands outRiversideMD
Fewer adults with heart disease4.1%5.8%
Fewer adults who have had a stroke2.5%3.4%
Fewer adults treating high blood pressure71.4%76.6%
Umd Upper Chesapeake Medical Center
6.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
61st
percentile among MD towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

OutdoorsB−

Riverside has set aside 9% of its land for conservation

1.6 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Bush Declaration Natural Resource Management Area, at 99 acres.

#110for trails in MD
RiversideMaryland townsU.S. towns
Conserved land9%9.5%4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile0.6 miles per square mile0.60.4
9%
conserved · 149 of 1,665 acres
1.6 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Bush Declaration Natural Resource Management Area—99
2. Belcamp Park—9
3. Belcamp Dog Park—3

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Climate

Riverside has four seasons and pleasant summers

Riverside has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 27° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.

17″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter28–44°
Spring44–64°
Summer67–86°
Fall49–67°
Oct 30
typical first frost
Apr 10
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Who lives here

More young adults than Maryland overall

Adults 18 to 34 are 29% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 12% of residents (17% statewide). At 35.7 years, Riverside’s median age is below both the Maryland town median (39.4 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). 20% of residents are under 18 in Riverside.

35.7median age · MD 39.4
RiversideMaryland townsU.S. towns
Aged 65 or older12%16%18%
Median age35.7 years39.4 years40.5 years
Under 1820%23%22%
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+40%42%29%
RiversideMarylandUnited States

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma3%
High school23%
Some college23%
Associate’s11%
Bachelor’s24%
Graduate16%

Women and men · all residents

50% women, 50% men

That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Riverside
RiversideMDU.S.
Under 1013.3%11.9%11.6%
10 to 176.4%10.3%10.3%
18 to 246.8%8.5%9.1%
25 to 3422.3%13.2%13.7%
35 to 4414.7%13.6%13.2%
45 to 5412.7%12.6%12.2%
55 to 6412.1%13.3%12.7%
65 to 749%9.9%10.2%
75 and older2.8%6.8%7%
No diploma3.4%8.9%10.4%
High school22.9%23.4%26%
Some college23.2%17.4%19.1%
Associate’s11%6.8%8.8%
Bachelor’s24%22.7%21.6%
Graduate15.5%20.8%14.1%

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A

With 1.2 jobs for every working resident, Riverside draws in 3,785 commuters

Jobs based here fell from 6,249 in 2013 to 3,957.

Most working residents leave Riverside for work: only 5% work in town. Since 2013, Riverside has lost 2,292 jobs, to 3,957 in 2023. Riverside’s average trip to work is 31 minutes.

5%work in town
RiversideMaryland townsU.S. towns
Work from home11%18%11%
Average trip to work31 minutes32 minutes25 minutes
Median household income$106,000$113,000$80,000
Below the poverty line5.7%7%9.6%

Where working residents work

In Riverside5%
Baltimore12%
Bel Air6%
Aberdeen4%
Edgewood4%
19 mi
median commute distance
3,957
jobs based in Riverside
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

HousingCost of living grade B+

A home in Riverside sells for about $200K at the median

At 2.5 years of the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 94% of Maryland towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,982, against $4,093 across Maryland, another input to its cost-of-living grade.

The median rent in Riverside is $1,898 a month.

$200Kmedian sale price
RiversideMaryland townsU.S. towns
Median rent$1,898 a month$1,809 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home65%74%73%
3
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Nearby attractions

M&T Bank Stadium and 69 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Riverside. Close and well known come first.

All 307 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

M&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain · Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 · NS Savannah: Elton Lord/Atomic Energy Commission, Public domain · Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine: ScottyBoy900Q at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walters Art Museum: Dylan k, CC BY-SA 3.0 · CFG Bank Arena: Don Woods, CC BY-SA 3.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Riverside

17pages on Riverside
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Riverside

About Riverside

Census-designated place in Maryland, United States

Riverside is a census-designated place (CDP) in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 6,425 at the 2010 census. The term "Riverside" is generally used interchangeably with "Belcamp"; both names are accepted for the U.S. Postal Service's ZIP Code of 21017. However, the original community of Belcamp is located south of U.S. Route 40, outside the Riverside CDP.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
2.3 sq mi
Elevation
79 ft

Riverside’s neighbors

2 towns share a border with Riverside.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownMD rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Riverside#5A+B+—BA−
Abingdon#106B+C+—BB+
Perryman——B−—BC−

Perryman has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Riverside, Abingdon and Perryman report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Riverside with a neighbor →

Questions about Riverside

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Riverside, MD a good place to live?

Yes, by almost any measure. Riverside grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #5 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A− for health and B for schools.

Is Riverside, MD expensive?

Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $246,000, 42% below the Maryland 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 B+.