Census-designated place · Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut

Riverside, Connecticut

Riverside is a census-designated place in Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, part of the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT metro area. It has 8,954 residents. Riverside, Connecticut has a quality-of-life score of 94 out of 100 (very high), ranking #924 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Connecticut it ranks #10 of 160 cities and towns. It ranks best on poor or fair health (low), adult smoking (low) and median household income (high). It ranks worst on home price to income ratio (high), high ozone days (high) and child care cost burden (high).

94Very high

Quality-of-life score: #924 of 15,651 cities and towns
Connecticut: #10 of 160 in CT
Population: 8,954 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 3,697.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 0964530

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety97#426/15,637
Economy88#1,822/15,631
Housing20#12,018/14,977
Health98#285/15,609
Healthcare93#1,163/15,650
Environment22#11,979/15,453
Education98#303/15,649
Infrastructure90#1,494/15,650
Community91#1,483/15,651
Leisure & amenities98#230/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Riverside, Connecticut ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Western Connecticut Planning Region value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Poor or fair health · low8.5%
100/100Connecticut 15.9%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult smoking · low5.5%
100/100Connecticut 11.3%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Median household income · high$250,001
100/100Connecticut $95,670United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended
Gyms and fitness centers · high3.3 /10k
99/100Connecticut 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWestern Connecticut Planning Region value
Public transit commuters · high16.9%
99/100Connecticut 3.3%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Average weekly wage · high$2,607
99/100Connecticut $1,750United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWestern Connecticut Planning Region value

Weaknesses

Home price to income ratio · high7.6×
4/100Connecticut 3.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
High ozone days · high15 days
4/100Connecticut 10 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Western Connecticut Planning Region value
Child care cost burden · high41.2%
6/100Connecticut 39.8%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Western Connecticut Planning Region value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.494
8/100Connecticut 0.499United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Days with unhealthy air · high5.6%
8/100Connecticut 3.5%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Western Connecticut Planning Region value
Average commute time · high35.4 min
14/100Connecticut 26.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
30.5% (2015-2019) → 46.5% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Public transit commutersWorsening
28.0% (2015-2019) → 16.9% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
73.3% (2015-2019) → 78.8% (2020-2024)
+5.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
23.8% (2015-2019) → 28.8% (2020-2024)
+5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Child poverty rateImproving
5.7% (2015-2019) → 1.6% (2020-2024)
−4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
6.4× (2015-2019) → 7.6× (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Riverside, Connecticut improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Household income+16%$215,791 → $250,001

Declined2

Price / income+1.2×6.4× → 7.6×
Transit use−11 points28.0% → 16.9%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Riverside, Connecticut between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	37.3 min2015-2019	35.4 min2020-2024	−1.8 min	Within the margin of error	69%
Bachelor's degree or higher	73.3%2015-2019	78.8%2020-2024	+5.5 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Broadband subscriptions	93.0%2015-2019	95.0%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Effective property tax rate	0.65%2015-2019	0.79%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	4%
High school diploma or higher	96.8%2015-2019	97.8%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Home price to income ratio	6.4×2015-2019	7.6×2020-2024	+1.2×	Declined	16%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5152015-2019	0.4942020-2024	−0.021	Within the margin of error	69%
Median household income	$215,7912015-2019	$250,0012020-2024	+16%	Improved	25%
Poverty rate	5.0%2015-2019	3.3%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Public transit commuters	28.0%2015-2019	16.9%2020-2024	−11 points	Declined	1%
Rent as share of income	23.8%2015-2019	28.8%2020-2024	+5 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Rent-burdened households	30.5%2015-2019	46.5%2020-2024	+16 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Unemployment rate	4.4%2015-2019	5.5%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.1%2015-2019	1.8%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	63%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Riverside, Connecticut five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Riverside, Connecticut in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Riverside, Connecticut itself moved −9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

8,954 residents (±670)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,933 households (±223)

Riverside, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Under $25k4.2%†124
$25k–50k8.5%†249
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,933 households (±223)

Riverside, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Own81%2,365
Rent19%568

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,842 workers (±406)

Riverside, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Drive alone38%1,469
Carpool7.3%†279
Public transit17%648

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Western Connecticut Planning Region, the county holding most of Riverside's residents.

Western Connecticut Planning Region has 19,955 employer establishments, 317 for every 10,000 residents (1.28× the US rate of 248; 1.29× Connecticut's), with 292,288 paid employees at an average annual pay of $113,020. The Census Bureau also counts 79,134 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 19,955; 79,134 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 317; US 248 · Connecticut 245
Paid employees: 292,288
Average annual pay: $113,020; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Western Connecticut Planning Region by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,597	25.3	1.22×About typical	18,754	$86,850	3,859
Restaurants and other eating places	1,543	24.5	1.33×More than typical	21,048	$32,048	319
Specialty trade contractors	1,094	17.4	1.12×About typical	7,066	$76,650	5,062
Services to buildings and dwellings	830	13.2	1.95×More than typical	7,355	$45,647	4,490
Full-service restaurants	755	12	1.56×More than typical	12,399	$36,049	161
Lessors of real estate	752	11.9	0.97×About typical	4,672	$94,790	10,102
Management, scientific and technical consulting	728	11.6	1.72×More than typical	6,766	$137,882	5,051
Landscaping services	619	9.8	2.80×More than typical	3,041	$63,191	1,308
Offices of physicians	588	9.3	1.44×More than typical	8,636	$115,521	797
Personal care services	582	9.2	1.93×More than typical	3,600	$30,274	1,569
Construction of buildings	547	8.7	1.15×About typical	2,751	$98,142	2,557
Limited-service restaurants	547	8.7	1.08×About typical	6,294	$26,813	106

Rank places for an industry Open Western Connecticut Planning Region

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 630,270 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Riverside is mostly in Western Connecticut Planning Region.

See federal money in Western Connecticut Planning Region

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Riverside, Connecticut is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Western Connecticut Planning Region89100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT88

Other cities and towns in Western Connecticut Planning Region

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0964530

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends