Living in Riverside, Iowa: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 8.5% below the U.S. average in the Iowa City metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Riverside itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byUniversity of Iowa Hospital & Clinics in Iowa City, about 12 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityChicago is about 202 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Riverside meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $183,700U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 11%Washington County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $918 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $84,091U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 81%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $2,871 a yearIowa: $2,897
Homes built before 1940: 32%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 10%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 91.5U.S. average = 100 (the Iowa City metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 11% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Iowa City metro area, not Riverside alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,0862020: 1,068
Median age: 42.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 21%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 27%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 12%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (29%); retail (10%); manufacturing (9%)
Unemployment rate: 2%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 33 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 16%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 2%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics, Iowa City, IA, about 12 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

3 public schools in Riverside, run by Highland Comm School District.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Iowa's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with any internet subscription: 89%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 12°F
July average high: 84°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 24 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 130 a year
Rain and melted snow: 38.5 inches a year
Snow: 28 inches a year
Elevation: 647 feet

Weather station: Iowa City (9 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

University of Iowa Hospital & ClinicsEmergency room12

Iowa City, IACity of 76,00012

Chicago, ILMetro of 9.4 million202

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics, Iowa City, Chicago.

Washington County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places, including St. Mary's Parish Church Buildings.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site17 miles

Read about Riverside's history on Wikipedia.

Know Riverside?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Kalona, IA2,800 people, 7 miles
Lone Tree, IA1,300 people, 8 miles
University Heights, IA1,200 people, 12 miles
Wellman, IA1,500 people, 14 miles
Washington, IA7,300 people, 14 miles
Tiffin, IA7,200 people, 16 miles

Smaller places

Hills, IA913 people, 5 miles
Frytown, IA (unincorporated)113 people, 10 miles
Ainsworth, IA512 people, 13 miles
Conesville, IA352 people, 14 miles
Nichols, IA314 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.