Riverside County, California

Indigenous

The Indigenous peoples of the valleys, mountains and deserts of what is now Riverside County are the Serrano, the Payómkawichum, the Mohave, the Cupeno, the Chemehuevi, the Cahuilla, and the Tongva. The Aguanga and Temecula Basins, Elsinore Trough and eastern Santa Ana Mountains are the traditional homelands of the Payómkawichum. The inland valleys in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains and the desert of the Salton Sink are the traditional homelands of the Cahuilla.

Spanish era

The first European settlement in the county was a Mission San Luis Rey de Francia estancia or farm at the Luiseño village of Temescal. In 1819, the Mission granted Leandro Serrano permission to occupy the land for the purpose of grazing and farming, and Serrano established Rancho Temescal. Serrano was mayordomo of San Antonio de Pala Asistencia for the Mission of San Luis Rey.

Mexican era

With the signing of the Treaty of Cordoba in 1821, Mexico gained its independence from Spain, but the San Gabriel Mission near what is now Los Angeles, California, continued to expand, and established Rancho San Gorgonio in 1824. The ranch was to be one of the Mission's principal rancherias, and the most distant, and it occupied most of today's San Gorgonio Pass area.

Following the Mexican secularization act of 1833 by the First Mexican Republic, a series of rancho land grants were made throughout the state. In the Riverside County this included; Rancho Jurupa in 1838, El Rincon in 1839, Rancho San Jacinto Viejo in 1842, Rancho San Jacinto y San Gorgonio in 1843, Ranchos La Laguna, Pauba, Temecula in 1844, Ranchos Little Temecula, Potreros de San Juan Capistrano in 1845, Ranchos San Jacinto Sobrante, La Sierra (Sepulveda), La Sierra (Yorba), Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero in 1846.

New Mexican colonists founded the town of La Placita on the east side of the Santa Ana River at the northern extremity of what is now the city of Riverside in 1843.

American era

When the initial 27 California counties were established in 1850, the area today known as Riverside County was partially in Los Angeles County and partially in San Diego County. In 1853, the eastern part of Los Angeles County was used to create San Bernardino County. Between 1891 and 1893, several proposals and legislative attempts were put forth to form new counties in Southern California. These proposals included one for a Pomona County and one for a San Jacinto County. None of the proposals were adopted until a measure to create Riverside County was signed by Governor Henry H. Markham on March 11, 1893.

Flora and fauna

There is a diversity of flora and fauna within Riverside County. Vegetative plant associations feature many desert flora, but there are also forested areas within the county. The California endemic Blue oak, Quercus douglasii is at the southernmost part of its range in Riverside County.

National protected areas

• Cleveland National Forest (part)
• Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge
• Dos Palmas Preserve
• Joshua Tree National Park (part)
• San Bernardino National Forest (part)
• Sand to Snow National Monument (part)
• Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

There are 19 official wilderness areas in Riverside County that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Some are integral parts of the above protected areas, most (11 of the 19) are managed solely by the Bureau of Land Management, and some share management between the BLM and the relevant other agencies. Some extend into neighboring counties:

State parks

• California Citrus State Historic Park
• Lake Perris State Recreation Area
• Mount San Jacinto State Park

County parks and trails

• Hurkey Creek Park
• Idyllwild Park
• Indio Hills Palms
• Jensen Alvarado Ranch
• Lake Cahuilla Recreation Area
• Lake Skinner Recreation Area
• McCall Memorial Equestrian Park
• Santa Rosa Plateau

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 2,418,185. The median age was 36.8 years, with 24.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 15.3% 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.4 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 41.2% White, 6.5% Black or African American, 1.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 7.1% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 26.4% from some other race, and 16.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 49.7% of the population.

94.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 763,283 households in the county, of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 848,549 housing units, of which 10.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.6% were owner-occupied and 33.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%.

Racial and ethnic composition

American Community Survey 2025 data

The United States Census Bureau estimated that in 2025, Riverside County’s population was 2.544.916. It was also estimated that the county's population was 29,20% Non-Hispanic White, 52,99% Hispanic or Latino, 6,14% Non-Hispanic Black, 7,73% Asian, 0,47% Native American, 0,30% Pacific Islander, and 3,16% Multiracial.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Riverside County had a population of 2,189,641. The racial makeup of Riverside County was 1,335,147 (61.0%) White (40.7% Non-Hispanic White), 140,543 (6.4%) African American, 23,710 (1.1%) Native American, 130,468 (6.0%) Asian (2.3% Filipino, 0.8% Chinese, 0.7% Vietnamese, 0.6% Korean, 0.5% Indian, 0.2% Japanese, 0.1% Cambodian, 0.1% Laotian, 0.1% Pakistani), 6,874 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 448,235 (20.5%) from other races, and 104,664 (4.8%) from two or more races. There were 995,257 residents of Hispanic or Latino ancestry, of any race (45.5%); 39.5% of Riverside County was of Mexican origin, 0.8% Salvadoran, 0.7% Honduran, 0.6% Puerto Rican, 0.3% Cuban, and 0.2% Nicaraguan descent.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,545,387 people, 506,218 households, and 372,576 families residing in the county. The population density was 214 inhabitants per square mile (83/km²). There were 584,674 housing units at an average density of 81 per square mile (31/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 65.6% White, 6.2% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American, 3.7% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 18.7% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. 36.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 9.2% were of German, 6.9% English, 6.1% Irish and 5.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 67.2% spoke English and 27.7% Spanish as their first language.

In 2006 the county had a population of 2,026,803, up 31.2% since 2000. In 2005 45.8% of the population was non-Hispanic whites. The percentages of African Americans, Asians and Native Americans remained relatively similar to their 2000 figures. The percentage of Pacific Islanders had majorly risen to 0.4. Hispanics now constituted 41% of the population.

There were 506,218 households, out of which 38.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.0 and the average family size was 3.5.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,887, and the median income for a family was $48,409. Males had a median income of $38,639 versus $28,032 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,689. About 10.7% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Government of Riverside County operates as a general law county under the California Constitution and law. It does not have a county charter. The county government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. In addition the County serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas.

The county is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors, with each member elected by districts for four-year terms. In 1999, the Board of Supervisors approved a multimillion-dollar planning effort to create the Riverside County Integrated Plan (RCIP) which was to encompass a completely new General Plan, regional transportation plan (CETAP) and Habitat Conservation Plan. The resultant General Plan adopted in 2003 was considered groundbreaking for its multidisciplinary approach to land use and conservation planning.

Board of Supervisors

Courts

The Riverside Superior Court is the state trial court for Riverside County with 14 courthouses: Riverside Historic Courthouse, Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside Family Law Court, Riverside Juvenile Court, Southwest Justice Center – Murrieta, Moreno Valley Court, Banning Court, Hemet Court, Corona Court, Temecula Court, Larson Justice Center – Indio, Indio Juvenile Court, Palm Springs Court and Blythe Court.

The main courthouse is the Riverside Historic Courthouse. This landmark, erected in 1903, was modeled after the Grand and Petit Palais in Paris, France. The courthouse, designed by Los Angeles architects Burnham and Bliesner, has a classical design – including a great hall that connects all the departments (courtrooms). In 1994, the courthouse was closed for seismic retrofits due to the 1992 Landers and 1994 Northridge earthquakes. The courthouse was reopened and rededicated in September 1998.

Riverside County hands down 1 in 6 death sentences in the US, in spite of it having less than 1% of the population.

Voter registration

Overview

Prior to 2008, Riverside County was a Republican stronghold in presidential and congressional elections. Between its creation in 1893 and 2004, it voted for the Democratic presidential nominee only three times: Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 (by a margin of 337 votes, or 0.99%), Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 (by a margin of 19,363 votes, or 13.65%), and Bill Clinton in 1992 (by a margin of 6,784 votes, or 1.58%). In 1932, it was one of only two counties in the entire West Coast to vote for Republican president Herbert Hoover over Roosevelt during the latter's landslide victory. In 2024, it was one of ten counties that flipped for Donald Trump after voting for Biden in 2020, and was one of six that voted for the Republican presidential candidate for the first time in 20 years since George W. Bush in 2004. At the state level, Riverside remains one of the most conservative counties in Southern California and is frequently the only county in the region to not vote for Democratic candidates, having not voted for a Democrat for governor since 1998 (and having only voted three times for Democrats in the past century).

At the local level, Democrats are strongest in Riverside County in large cities such as Riverside, Perris, and Moreno Valley, performing especially well in majority Black and Hispanic areas, although those have been shifting heavily to the right. Democrats are also strongest in progressive-leaning White areas and college campuses such as Downtown Riverside, the area surrounding UC Riverside, the LGBT enclave of Palm Springs and most of the Hispanic-majority Coachella Valley.

Republicans perform especially well in the wealthy San Diegan exurbs in the Temecula Valley as well as more middle-class white cities such as Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, and Menifee. Republicans are also usually more successful in the rural areas of the county as well as wealthy retirement enclaves such as Canyon Lake and Bermuda Dunes. Republicans have been consistently gaining in almost all areas of the county, however, and in 2024 put up massive gains in both affluent suburbs and blue-collar majority Hispanic areas, even flipping the city of Jurupa Valley, one of the most Hispanic cities in Riverside County.

In the United States House of Representatives, Riverside County is split between 6 congressional districts:

• California's 25th congressional district, represented by Democrat Raul Ruiz
• California's 35th congressional district, represented by Democrat Norma Torres
• California's 39th congressional district, represented by Democrat Mark Takano
• California's 40th congressional district, represented by Republican Young Kim
• California's 41st congressional district, represented by Republican Ken Calvert and
• California's 48th congressional district, represented by Republican Darrell Issa.

In the California State Senate, the county is split between four legislative districts:

• the 18th senatorial district, represented by Democrat Steve Padilla,
• the 19th senatorial district, represented by Republican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh,
• the 31st senatorial district, represented by Democrat Sabrina Cervantes, and
• the 32nd senatorial district, represented by Republican Kelly Seyarto.

In the California State Assembly, the county is split between six legislative districts:

• the 36th Assembly district, represented by Republican Jeff Gonzalez,
• the 47th Assembly district, represented by Republican Greg Wallis,
• the 58th Assembly district, represented by Republican Leticia Castillo,
• the 60th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Corey Jackson,
• the 63rd Assembly district, represented by Republican Natasha Johnson, and
• the 71st Assembly district, represented by Republican Kate Sanchez.

Cities by population and crime rates

Universities and colleges

• Azusa Pacific University – Murrieta
• Brandman University }}, part of the Chapman University System – Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Riverside and Temecula
• California Baptist University – Riverside
• California Southern Law School – Riverside
• California State University, San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus – Palm Desert
• California State University, San Marcos, Temecula Satellite Campus – Temecula
• College of the Desert – Palm Desert and Indio
• La Sierra University – Riverside
• Mayfield College – Cathedral City
• Mt. San Jacinto College – Banning, Menifee, San Jacinto, Temecula
• Olivet University – Anza
• Palo Verde College – Blythe
• Riverside Community College District
  • Riverside City College
  • Moreno Valley College
  • Norco College
• Santa Barbara Business College – Palm Desert
• University of California, Riverside – Palm Desert and Riverside
• University of Phoenix – Murrieta and Palm Desert

K-12 schools

Public school districts

K-12 unified:

Secondary:

• Perris Union High School District

Elementary:

State-operated schools

• California School for the Deaf, Riverside

Bureau of Indian Education-operated schools

• Sherman Indian High School

Major highways

• I-10
  • I-10 BL (Blythe)
• I-15
• I-215
• US 95
• SR 60 – former US 60
• SR 62
• SR 71
• SR 74
• SR 78
• SR 79
• SR 86
• SR 91
• SR 111
• SR 177
• SR 243
• SR 371

Public transportation

• Riverside Transit Agency serves the western third of Riverside County, as far east as Banning.
• SunLine Transit Agency serves Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley area.
• RidePV (formerly Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency) provides service in Blythe, near the Arizona border.
• Beaumont Transit serves the city of Beaumont.
• Banning Connect serves the city of Banning.
• Corona Cruiser serves the city of Corona.
• Riverside County is also served by Greyhound buses.

Amtrak trains stop in Riverside and Palm Springs, and Amtrak California provides bus connections to the Gold Runner in Riverside–Downtown, Beaumont, Palm Springs, Thousand Palms, Indio, Moreno Valley, Perris, Sun City, and Hemet. Amtrak Thruway buses connect Fullerton to Palm Springs and Indio.

Metrolink trains serve nine stations in Riverside County: Riverside–Downtown, Riverside–La Sierra, Corona–North Main, Corona–West, Jurupa Valley/Pedley, Riverside–Hunter Park/UCR, Moreno Valley/March Field, Perris–Downtown, and Perris–South. These trains provide service to Orange, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties seven days a week, with a primarily commuter-oriented schedule.

Airports

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Former census designated places

• Crestmore Heights, annexed to Jurupa Valley

Ghost towns

Indian reservations

Riverside County has 12 federally recognized Indian reservations, which ties it with Sandoval County, New Mexico, for second most of any county in the United States. (Sandoval County, however, has two additional joint-use areas, shared between reservations. San Diego County, California has the most, with 18 reservations.)

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Riverside County.

† county seat

Bibliography

• Fitch, Robert J. (1993). Profile of a Century: Riverside County, California, 1893–1993. Riverside County Historical Commission Press. pp. 300. OCLC 28661359
• Gunther, Jane Davies. Riverside County, California, Place Names; Their Origins and Their Stories, Riverside, CA, 1984. LCCN 84-72920
• Holmes, Elmer Wallace (1912). History of Riverside County, California: With Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified with Its Growth. Los Angeles, CA: Historic Record Company. pp. 783 (840 in 2010 republishing). ISBN 978-1174620966. OCLC 7951260. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Lech, Steve (2004). Along the Old Roads: A History of the Portion of Southern California that became Riverside County: 1772–1893. Steve Lech. p. 902. OCLC 56035822.
  • Lech, Steve (2012). Pioneers of Riverside County: The Spanish, Mexican and Early American Periods. Charleston, SC: The History Press. p. 173. ISBN 978-1609498313. OCLC 814373331. (a reprint of the first three chapters of Along the Old Roads.)