Palm Desert, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Palm Desert, 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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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Palm Desert | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 47,249 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1751.2 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.28% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 55.6 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 22,429 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Palm Desert grew by 8.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 47,249 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Palm Desert is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 32.0% of residents. That is 16.7 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,840 14.5% -7.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 6,960 14.7% -8.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 8,295 17.6% -2.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 15,102 32.0% +16.7 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 52.5% of the people living in Palm Desert and men 47.5%.
- Women 52.5% California 49.9%
- Men 47.5% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Palm Desert
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Economy
Palm Desert has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Palm Desert | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $82,219 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.06% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Palm Desert is about 17% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Palm Desert | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $424,212 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,793 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.3% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Palm Desert is about 19.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,793 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Palm Desert spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 146 hours, about 6.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Palm Desert | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.5 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.0 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 146 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,522 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.0% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 45,005 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,000 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Palm Desert is 18 minutes, shorter 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
Palm Desert has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Palm Desert | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38.6% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.08 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
Palm Desert has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Palm Desert | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.3 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.3% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 10.4% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Palm Desert, California.
What is the population of Palm Desert, California?
About 47,249 people live in Palm Desert, California, in 22,429 households of 2.1 people on average. The median age is 55.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 18 years.
Is Palm Desert, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Palm Desert, California has 1,751 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 20 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Palm Desert, California?
The median home costs 5.2 times the median household income ($424,212 against $82,219), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,793 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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