Census place 0655184

Palm Desert

A Census profile of the people, homes, and daily patterns that shape this place.

Official Census name: Palm Desert city

Relocation snapshot

What stands out in Palm Desert.

According to the 2025 estimate, Palm Desert has a population of 53,259 and 1,989 residents per square mile. Of the six relocation measures evaluated, the three largest relative differences from the median among 376 covered California places are: population density is 1,989/sq mi, below the comparison median of 3,894/sq mi; typical commute is 21 minutes, below the comparison median of 28 minutes; and median home value is $542,000, below the comparison median of $717,000. These unweighted medians compare covered Census places and are not statewide estimates.

population density: 1,989/sq mi
typical commute: 21 minutes
median home value: $542,000

National context

Follow the metrics.

Compare Palm Desert's values with other covered Census places. Rankings are descriptive, not recommendations.

At a glance

A city in numbers.

Population: 53,259
Annual change: +0.6%
Density: 1,989/sq mi
Median age: 57.5 years

Living here

The everyday equation.

Households, homes, education, and the time it takes to get around.

Median household income: $77,513
Median home value: $542,000
Median gross rent: $1,778
Bachelor’s degree or higher: 40.7%
Typical commute: 21 min
Drive-alone commute: 69%
Public transit commute: 0.7%
Walked to work: 1.1%

Housing

Who rents, and what it takes.

Renter share and rent burden help describe the housing choices visible in this place.

Renter-occupied homes: 35%
Renters paying 30%+ of income: 65.1%

Work

How the workday lands.

Employment status and working-from-home share add context to income and commuting patterns.

Employed residents 16+: 46.2%
Unemployed residents 16+: 3.1%
Working from home: 14.9%

Community

The everyday infrastructure.

Access, mobility, housing growth, and household composition add another layer to a place's day-to-day picture.

Households with broadband: 91.3%
Homes built 2020+: 1%
Households without a vehicle: 3.9%
Households with children: 16%
Residents with a disability: 16.7%
Residents without insurance: 5.5%

Environmental context

A record of declared events.

FEMA declarations for Riverside County provide historical context, not a forecast or a property-level risk assessment.

Environmental declarations since 2000: 45
Fire declarations: 35
Severe Storm declarations: 4
Flood declarations: 3

Climate normals

The long view of weather.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast. Temperature and precipitation describe the typical conditions recorded from 1991 through 2020.

Representative station: PALM SPRINGS ASOS (10 mi from place center)

Average high: 88.9°F
Average low: 62.3°F
Annual rainfall: 4.6"
Annual snowfall: 0"

Month by month

A year in Palm Desert.

Typical high and low °F

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Typical precipitation inches

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Data vintage

Population is from the 2025 Population Estimates Program. Household, housing, education, and commute data are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year release. Disaster declarations are from FEMA's OpenFEMA dataset and are refreshed with this edition.

Population estimates ACS profile TIGERweb boundary NOAA climate normals FEMA declarations

Similar places

More places to consider.

Selected by the closest mix of population, density, median home value, and average annual high.

Cathedral City, CA

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 52,375
Median home: $453,100

Yucaipa, CA

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 54,953
Median home: $502,100

Bonita Springs, FL

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 57,634
Median home: $497,100

Keep exploring

Compare Palm Desert with Cathedral City →