1928 Baltimore Sun advertisement for racially restricted houses in Riviera Beach.
Prior to the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, racially restrictive covenants were used in Maryland to exclude African-Americans and other minorities. A July 8, 1928 advertisement in the Baltimore Sun for houses in Riviera Beach described the community as a "refined, restricted" neighborhood.[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2), of which 2.6 square miles (6.8 km2) is land and 0.58 square miles (1.5 km2), or 17.96%, is water.[2]
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 12,677 people, 4,817 households, and 3,373 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,759.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,837.8/km2). There were 5,098 housing units at an average density of 1,855.9 per square mile (716.6/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.6% White, 4.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population.
There were 2,100 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $79,645, and the median income for a family was $82,567. Males had a median income of $59,861 versus $44,379 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $33,507. About 3% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
