Lake Forest vs Riverside
The short version
- Riverside is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Lake Forest area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $584,800 in Riverside and $937,000 in Lake Forest.
- Households earn more in Lake Forest ($135,175 vs $91,045 median).
- Riverside has more scorching days: 100 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 35.
- Commutes are shorter in Lake Forest (26 vs 31 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Lake Forest, CA | Riverside, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 86,333 | 323,057 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.5% | +2.4% |
| People per square mile | 5,165 | 3,981 |
| Median age | 40.2 | 33.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 51% | 26% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $135,175 | $91,045 |
| Median home value | $937,000 | $584,800 |
| Home value to income | 6.9× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,672 | $1,914 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 113.6 | 106.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 170.4 | 129.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,200 | $79,800 |
| Homeowners | 71% | 57% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.5 | 31.3 |
| Work from home | 24% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.9% | 6.3% |
| Poverty rate | 8.5% | 12.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 68° / 43° | 68° / 44° |
| July high / low | 85° / 61° | 93° / 64° |
| Precipitation per year | 14 in | 9 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 35 | 100 |
| Nights below freezing | 2 | 4 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 8 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.8 | 99.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 11% | 7% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.3% | +0.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.5% | +35.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Lake Forest: October to July. Riverside: October to May.
Full monthly tables: Lake Forest weather by month and Riverside weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $85,200 in Lake Forest and $79,800 in Riverside. Moving from Lake Forest to Riverside, you would need about $70,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Lake Forest and Riverside
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Lake Forest and Riverside.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.