Desert Hot Springs, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Desert Hot Springs, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Desert Hot Springs | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 26,986 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 885.2 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.69% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.8 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,185 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Desert Hot Springs grew by 31.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 26,986 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Desert Hot Springs is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.4% of residents. That is 2.7 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,595 24.4% +2.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,466 20.3% -3.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,148 19.1% -0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,748 13.9% -1.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.8% of the people living in Desert Hot Springs and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% California 49.9%
- Men 49.2% California 50.1%
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Economy
Desert Hot Springs has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Desert Hot Springs | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,067 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.77% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.5% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Desert Hot Springs is about 49% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Desert Hot Springs | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $99,125 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,395 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 51.2% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Desert Hot Springs is about 5.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,395 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Desert Hot Springs spend about 48 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 200 hours, about 8.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Desert Hot Springs | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 24.0 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.9 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 200 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,192 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.4% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 30,622 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,251 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Desert Hot Springs is 24 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Desert Hot Springs has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Desert Hot Springs | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11.9% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.91 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Desert Hot Springs has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Desert Hot Springs | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.3% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Desert Hot Springs, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
How Desert Hot Springs, CA compares with the 1 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Hot Springs, CA | 26,986 | $51,067 #2/2 | $99,125 #2/2 | 24.0 min #2/2 |
| Cathedral City, CA | 45,926 | $75,804 | $343,501 | 17.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Desert Hot Springs, California.
How many people live in Desert Hot Springs, California?
About 26,986 people live in Desert Hot Springs, California, in 9,185 households of 2.9 people on average. The median age is 33.8, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Desert Hot Springs, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Desert Hot Springs, California has 885 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 10 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Desert Hot Springs, California?
The median home costs 1.9 times the median household income ($99,125 against $51,067), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,395 a month takes about 33% of the median household's income, above the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Desert Hot Springs, California?
Unemployment in Desert Hot Springs, California is 6.5%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Desert Hot Springs, California?
11.9% of adults in Desert Hot Springs, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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