CitytisticsShortlist

Riverside, CT vs Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, CA

Riverside

Connecticut

vs

Tamalpais-Homestead Valley

California

Across 28 directional measures we can compare, Riverside leads on 14 and Tamalpais-Homestead Valley on 14. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 0% higher in Riverside, and so is median household income.

Median gross rent
$3,501$3,501
Riverside is 0% higher
Median household income
$250,001$243,227
Riverside is 3% higher
Median home value
$1,900,300$1,863,900
Riverside is 2% higher

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $212,400 a year left in Riverside and $202,400 in Tamalpais-Homestead Valley. Money goes further in Riverside, by about $10,000 a year.
  • A household earning Riverside's median of $250,001 would need about $253,000 in Tamalpais-Homestead Valley to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 7.1 points a year in Riverside, and pay outran rent by 3.8 points a year in Tamalpais-Homestead Valley.

How these are calculated

ConnecticutCaliforniaTamalpais-Homestead Valley, CARiverside, CTRiversideTamalpais-Homestead ValleyRiversideTamalpais-Homestead Valley

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 2 of 2 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, CAComposite 53.9 / 100
61
406699n/a2645n/a
02Riverside, CTComposite 51.0 / 100
53
436998n/a637n/a

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureRiversideTamalpais-Homestead ValleyAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$3,501$3,501
Rent to income116.8%17.3%
Home price to income17.6x7.7x
Prices vs US average2106.9115.6
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$2,399$3,697
HUD area median income4n/a$200,800
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$10,001$10,001
Median home value1$1,900,300$1,863,900
Home prices, 1-year change55.8%-0.8%
Home prices, 5-year change556.2%25.4%
Homeownership180.6%85.4%
Renters paying 30%+146.5%38.0%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$4,001$4,001
Vacant homes16.4%6.6%
Median year built119631966
Jobs and income
Median household income1$250,001$243,227
Income per person1$142,687$125,795
Unemployment15.5%5.9%
Average annual pay6$135,554$94,975
Pay growth, 1 year65.0%1.5%
Jobs6289,915110,071
Poverty rate13.3%3.3%
Mean commute135 min29 min
Works from home134.5%48.8%
Commutes by transit116.9%2.0%
People
Population18,95412,085
Median age140.844.5
Bachelor's or higher178.8%79.8%
High school or higher197.8%98.8%
Household size13.02.6
Born abroad129.4%13.1%
No health insurance17.2%3.8%
Homes with broadband195.0%98.7%
Moving
Moved here in the past year17.6%4.7%
Moved from another state15.2%1.2%
Net movers per 1,000 people7-6.3-6.3
Income of households moving in7$187,067$234,843
Income of households moving out7$153,620$166,658
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k828.325.4
Shops per 10k837.535.8
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k88.212.1
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k825.534.6
Child care centers per 10k83.15.0
Parks per 10k92.25.8
Playgrounds per 10k92.27.5
Grocery stores per 10k92.21.6
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k96.76.6
Libraries per 10k90.00.0
Named paths and bike trails91.713.5
Transit stops per sq mi92.16.8
Nearest National Park Service site1011.02.0
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10229
National Register listings11n/a56
Schools
Public schools12474
Public school students122,00229,867
Students per teacher1211.419.2
Climate
July average high13n/a72°F
January average low13n/a43°F
Average temperature13n/a56°F
Annual precipitation13n/a35.8 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1496.396.4
Hurricane risk1497.0n/a
Tornado risk1469.218.6
Wildfire risk1446.394.6
Heat wave risk1484.074.6
Median air quality index1544n/a
Good air days1564.7%n/a

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Riverside $140,040, Tamalpais-Homestead Valley $140,040 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

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