{"id":741,"date":"2023-01-19T06:22:20","date_gmt":"2023-01-19T06:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=741"},"modified":"2026-08-07T10:25:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T10:25:03","slug":"riverside-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/riverside-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Riverside County, California"},"content":{"rendered":"

Riverside County is a county in California, United States, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles.
\nIt had a population of 2,418,185 at the 2020 census, an estimated 2,544,916 by 2025, and covers
\n7,207 square miles of land (18,670 km2), 7,303 square miles total, centred near 33°44′N 115°59′W.<\/p>\n

Riverside is the county seat and the county’s second-largest city; its postal code is 92501.
\nThe county holds 28 incorporated cities and dozens of unincorporated communities across
\nno civil townships — California abolished townships as a unit of government decades ago
\n— and it runs on Pacific Time. Its FIPS code is 06065.<\/p>\n

Towns & Villages in Riverside County<\/h2>\n

Riverside County has 28 incorporated cities, ranging from Riverside (314,998) down to
\nIndian Wells (4,757). Beyond those, the county counts 59 census-designated places (CDPs) —
\nunincorporated communities with a governed boundary but no city hall of their own — plus
\nscores of smaller mobile-home parks and crossroads that never reach CDP status. The tables below
\nlist every incorporated city, then the 25 largest CDPs by population.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
City<\/th>\nType<\/th>\nPop.<\/th>\nZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Riverside<\/td>\nCity · seat<\/td>\n314,998<\/td>\n92501<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Moreno Valley<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n208,634<\/td>\n92551<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Corona<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n157,154<\/td>\n92879<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Murrieta<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n110,989<\/td>\n92562<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Temecula<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n109,990<\/td>\n92590<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jurupa Valley<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n105,047<\/td>\n92509<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Menifee<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n102,526<\/td>\n92584<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hemet<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n89,796<\/td>\n92543<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indio<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n89,137<\/td>\n92201<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Perris<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n78,686<\/td>\n92570<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lake Elsinore<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n70,248<\/td>\n92530<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eastvale<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n69,747<\/td>\n92880<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
San Jacinto<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n53,897<\/td>\n92583<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Beaumont<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n53,057<\/td>\n92223<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cathedral City<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n51,493<\/td>\n92234<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Palm Desert<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n51,163<\/td>\n92260<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Palm Springs<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n44,575<\/td>\n92262<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Coachella<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n41,934<\/td>\n92236<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wildomar<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n36,889<\/td>\n92595<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La Quinta<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n37,743<\/td>\n92253<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Desert Hot Springs<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n32,528<\/td>\n92240<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Banning<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n29,513<\/td>\n92220<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Norco<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n26,296<\/td>\n92860<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blythe<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n18,317<\/td>\n92225<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rancho Mirage<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n16,999<\/td>\n92270<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Canyon Lake<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n11,082<\/td>\n92587<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Calimesa<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n10,026<\/td>\n92320<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indian Wells<\/td>\nCity<\/td>\n4,757<\/td>\n92210<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Two names on this list are easy to mix up. Indian Wells and Indio both sit in the Coachella
\nValley and both start with “Indi”, but Indian Wells is a small resort city of under
\n5,000 while Indio, ten miles east, is the valley’s largest city. Palm Desert and Desert
\nHot Springs are also frequently confused — the first sits mid-valley near Palm Springs,
\nthe second is a separate spa town 15 miles to the northwest.<\/p>\n

The 25 largest census-designated places, by 2010 census population — the most recent
\nyear the Census Bureau published CDP-level figures for this group before several were annexed
\nor restructured:<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Place<\/th>\nType<\/th>\nPop. (2010)<\/th>\nNear<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Rubidoux<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n34,280<\/td>\nJurupa Valley<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
French Valley<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n23,067<\/td>\nTemecula<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Temescal Valley<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n22,535<\/td>\nCorona<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mira Loma<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n21,930<\/td>\nJurupa Valley<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Glen Avon<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n20,199<\/td>\nJurupa Valley<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mead Valley<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n18,510<\/td>\nPerris<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
East Hemet<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n17,418<\/td>\nHemet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Valle Vista<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n14,578<\/td>\nHemet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Woodcrest<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n14,347<\/td>\nRiverside<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
El Sobrante<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n12,723<\/td>\nCorona<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pedley<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n12,672<\/td>\nJurupa Valley<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Home Gardens<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n11,570<\/td>\nCorona<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lakeland Village<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n11,541<\/td>\nLake Elsinore<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Good Hope<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n9,192<\/td>\nPerris<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mecca<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n8,577<\/td>\nCoachella<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Thousand Palms<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n7,715<\/td>\nCathedral City<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Garnet<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n7,543<\/td>\nDesert Hot Springs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bermuda Dunes<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n7,282<\/td>\nLa Quinta<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Desert Palms<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n6,957<\/td>\nPalm Desert<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oasis<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n6,890<\/td>\nThermal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nuevo<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n6,447<\/td>\nPerris<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cherry Valley<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n6,362<\/td>\nBeaumont<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Homeland<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n5,969<\/td>\nHemet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lake Mathews<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n5,890<\/td>\nRiverside<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sunnyslope<\/td>\nCDP<\/td>\n5,153<\/td>\nSan Jacinto<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Another 34 smaller CDPs round out the list, among them Idyllwild-Pine Cove and Cabazon in the
\nSan Jacinto and San Gorgonio passes, Anza and Aguanga on the county’s southern grasslands,
\nand Thermal and North Shore along the Salton Sea — none over 4,000 residents at the 2010
\ncount.<\/p>\n

ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n

Riverside County spans well over 60 ZIP codes across three regions. The western county runs
\n92501–92509 for Riverside, 92879–92883 for Corona, and 92551–92557 for Moreno
\nValley. Southwest county cities use 92562–92592 (Murrieta, Temecula, Wildomar, Menifee,
\nLake Elsinore). The Coachella Valley runs 92201–92276, covering Indio, Palm Springs, Palm
\nDesert, La Quinta, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Coachella and Desert Hot
\nSprings. Blythe, isolated on the Colorado River 100 miles east of Indio, uses 92225–92226
\non its own.<\/p>\n

Most CDPs share a ZIP with their nearest incorporated city rather than carrying one of their
\nown — Rubidoux, Mira Loma, Glen Avon and Pedley all use Jurupa Valley’s 92509,
\n92505 and 92860 range, and Mecca, Oasis and Thermal share 92254 with the eastern Coachella
\nValley’s shared post office.<\/p>\n

Geography<\/h2>\n

Riverside County stretches about 180 miles east to west, from the Santa Ana Mountains on the
\nOrange County line to the Colorado River on the Arizona border. Of its 7,303 square miles, 7,207
\nare land and 96 are water, about 1.3 percent, mostly the Riverside County portion of the Salton
\nSea and a string of reservoirs including Lake Perris, Diamond Valley Lake and Lake Mathews. The
\ncounty runs through three distinct landscapes: chaparral-covered hills in the west, the low
\ndesert of the Coachella Valley in the center, and the open Colorado Desert and Joshua Tree
\ncountry to the east — the county holds most of Joshua Tree National Park.<\/p>\n

San Bernardino County borders Riverside to the north, Orange County to the west, San Diego
\nCounty to the southwest, Imperial County to the southeast, and La Paz County, Arizona, across
\nthe Colorado River to the east. San
\nBernardino County<\/a>, Orange
\nCounty<\/a>, San Diego County<\/a> and
\nImperial County<\/a> each have their own
\nTowns & Villages page; La Paz County lies outside California and is not covered on this
\nsite.<\/p>\n

Demographics<\/h2>\n

Riverside County had a population of 2,418,185 at the 2020 census, the fourth-highest count
\nof any California county, and the latest estimate puts it near 2,544,916. Riverside and Moreno
\nValley are the two largest cities, together holding more than a fifth of the county’s
\npopulation. Median household income runs $93,074, below California’s statewide figure of
\n$95,521. Population density works out to roughly 336 people per square mile of land, low for a
\ncounty this populous because most of its eastern two-thirds is sparsely settled desert.<\/p>\n

Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\n

Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector at about
\n142,000 workers, followed by retail trade at 136,000 and construction at 102,000. Riverside
\nCounty government itself is the single largest employer in the city of Riverside, with about
\n24,400 workers, followed by March Air Reserve Base at 9,750 and the University of California,
\nRiverside at 8,831. The Coachella Valley’s economy leans on tourism and agriculture —
\nthe valley grows nearly 95 percent of the nation’s dates, centered around Coachella,
\nMecca and Thermal. The county’s biggest annual event is the Coachella Valley Music and
\nArts Festival, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio each April, alongside the older Riverside
\nCounty Fair & National Date Festival in Indio every February.<\/p>\n

History<\/h2>\n

The California legislature created Riverside County on 9 May 1893, carving it out of San
\nBernardino and San Diego counties. The county took its name from the city of Riverside, which
\nwas itself named for its position beside the Santa Ana River. Riverside became the birthplace
\nof California’s citrus industry in 1873, when Eliza Tibbets planted two Brazilian navel
\norange trees that became the parent stock for the state’s entire navel orange crop; by
\n1895 Riverside was, per capita, the richest city in the United States. The Coachella Valley
\nside of the county developed later around irrigation from the All-American Canal and the
\nColorado River, and the Cahuilla people, the region’s original inhabitants, still hold
\nseveral reservations across the county, including Agua Caliente, Torres Martinez and Cabazon.<\/p>\n

Getting There<\/h2>\n

Interstate 10 crosses the county west to east through Beaumont, Banning, the Coachella
\nValley and on to Blythe. Interstate 15 runs north–south through Corona, Lake Elsinore,
\nMurrieta and Temecula, and Interstate 215 branches off it through Perris and Riverside. State
\nRoutes 60, 91, 74, 79 and 111 also cross the county, the last running the length of the
\nCoachella Valley.<\/p>\n