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Mid-size city

Living in Palm Desert, CA

Palm Desert is a mid-size city of 51,990 people in Riverside County, California. It's about 61 miles from Riverside, CA. Summer highs average 107°F and winter highs 70°F, with almost no snow. The typical home is valued around $542k and rent runs about $2k a month.

51,990people
$542kTypical home
$1,778/moRent
107° / 70°Summer / winter
0"Snow
338Sunny days
17Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Mid-size city of 51,990
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 1,942 people per sq mi
  • 61 mi to Riverside, CA
  • 61 mi to Riverside, CA
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $542k (≈$3,418/mo)
  • Median rent $1,778/mo
  • Median household income $78k
  • Property tax about 0.9% of value
  • 6.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 107°F
  • Winter highs around 70°F
  • Dry summers (dew point 45°F)
  • 338 sunny days a year (226 totally clear)
  • 27 cloudy days a year
  • 14 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 17 days a year with rain or snow
  • Basically no snow
  • Snow days are rare
  • 118 days a year over 100°F
  • Rarely drops below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (143 per 100k)
  • About average property crime (2,066 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 58
  • 16% of households have kids
  • 38% are 65 or older
  • 41% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 6% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 22 min
  • 2% walk or take transit to work
  • 10 mi to PSP airport
  • 10 mi to PSP (major hub)
  • 15 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 69% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1985
  • 91% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Mountain country
  • Elevation 157 ft
  • 70 mi to the ocean
  • 24 mi to a big lake
  • 3 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 43 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 12 mi to the nearest campground
  • 107 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 439 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 29 bars within 25 mi
  • 145 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 4 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 21 museums within 25 mi
  • 4 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 8 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 43% of California districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 4 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 4 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 4 mi to the nearest vet
  • Dog park in town
  • 2 congregations per 10k people
  • 3 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Riverside County: Purple — split almost evenly
  • California: D+20 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Very low tornado risk
  • High wildfire risk
  • High earthquake risk
  • Low flood risk
  • High drought risk
  • Very low winter storm risk
  • High heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Palm Desert

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