What 203,530 Service Requests Reveal About Life in Riverside
The city's own data tells a story of overflowing bins, crumbling sidewalks, and a homelessness crisis that quietly became the number one issue residents report.
We analyze public data so you don't have to, because informed communities make better decisions.
Key Findings at a Glance
15 data points from 203,530 service requests paint a picture of a city growing, struggling, and in some places being left behind.
203,530
Total Service Requests
Filed by Riverside residents across 30 neighborhoods and 7 city council wards
22,112
Illegal Dumping Reports
The #1 issue. 10.9% of all requests. Ward 1 leads with 3,208 reports
327
Unresolved Potholes
The oldest has been waiting since 2011. Over 56% waiting more than 1 year
1,189
Unresolved Sidewalk Reports
938 have been waiting over 5 years. 46.8% unresolved rate, the worst of any category
484%
Surge in Homeless Encampment Reports
From 521 reports in 2023 to 3,043 in 2025. Now the single most reported issue
7,000+
Active Backlog
4,523 assigned but incomplete, plus 2,547 pending or on-hold. Oldest from January 2009
See It For Yourself
These interactive maps plot every unresolved pothole and sidewalk damage report in Riverside. Color-coded by how long they've been waiting. Click any marker for details.
Maps built with Leaflet.js using data from the City of Riverside open data portal. Zoom, pan, and click markers for details.
From the Analysis
The Data Tells a Story of Inequity
When you layer these 15 data points together, a pattern emerges. The wards with the most service requests are not always the wards with the fastest resolution times. The neighborhoods with the most damaged sidewalks are not always the neighborhoods receiving capital improvement funding. The areas with the highest concentrations of homeless encampment reports are often the same areas dealing with illegal dumping, shopping cart blight, and abandoned vehicles.
What You Can Do
Knowledge is power. Here's how to turn these findings into action.