Palm Desert
What’s happening
Weather
Forecast →Upcoming events
Put the next local happening — a market, a meeting, a concert — on the map.
Local news
Headlines via Google News · Articles belong to their publishers.
The Palm Desert album
Outdoors in Palm Desert
Parks & trails →Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
(Memorial Community Walk)
Photo · Wikimedia Commons
About Palm Desert
City in California, United StatesPalm Desert is a city in the Coachella Valley region of Riverside County, California. The city is located in the Colorado Desert arm of the Sonoran Desert, about 14 miles (23 km) east of Palm Springs, 121 miles (195 km) northeast of San Diego and 122 miles (196 km) east of Los Angeles. The population was 51,163 at the 2020 census, and the city has been one of the state's fastest-growing since 1980, when its population was 11,801.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
How Palm Desert ranks
All →Town numbers
Housing in Palm Desert
The typical Palm Desert home is worth about $539,000, down 1.6% in a year, 29% below the California typical home.
A balanced market
Safety in Palm Desert
Safety Grade C-
Palm Desert reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 81% report less.
Work & commute in Palm Desert
Full picture →About one in 5 of Palm Desert’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Rancho Mirage (10%), Palm Springs (7%) and La Quinta (5%). Half commute less than 10 miles.
Health in Palm Desert
Health Grade B
Healthier than 60% of U.S. towns on seven CDC estimates.
Compared with California
of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 7 are too close to call.
What stands out
Care nearby
Natural hazards in Palm Desert
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities.
Climate in Palm Desert
Full climate →Palm Desert has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 107°, a January night drops to 45°, and snow is almost unheard of.
Schools in Palm Desert
All Palm Desert schools →School Grade B
The public schools Palm Desert’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 63% of California’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.
School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within CA. Ratings are from neighbors.
Palm Desert is a college town
Colleges →of Palm Desert’s residents are enrolled in college. College of the Desert has about 7,129 students on campus, and 1 more college is in town.
Palm Desert’s library
Library details →Famous people from Palm Desert
See all 10 →
Where Palm Desert is
Explore map →
Location map