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Indio vs La Quinta

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (4.5× in La Quinta) and growth since 2010 (+17 pts in Indio).

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Indio, CAHomes around $509KCalifornia · 91,950 people
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La Quinta, CAHomes around $735KCalifornia · 38,707 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,290 more a month in La Quinta

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Indio$3,090/mo
Typical home $509K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.99% · or rent about $1,437/mo · Housing →
La Quinta$4,380/mo
Typical home $735K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.85% · or rent about $1,785/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,290 a month, about $15,400 a year, between La Quinta and Indio.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

La Quinta places higher on 13 of 21 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Where they are

Indio and La Quinta share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

IndioLa QuintaIndioLa Quinta
Indio ↔ La Quinta6.8 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
2,738 Indio residents work in La Quinta (8% of its workers)
1,232 La Quinta residents work in Indio (8.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Indio →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
IndioLa Quinta
Snow a year0″0″
January low47°F47°F
July high106°F106°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)94th85th
Outdoors & history
IndioLa Quinta
Conserved land3.2%17.5%
Settled1873—
Archive photos147
Famous people born here22—
Community
IndioLa Quinta
Library hours a week38 hrs53 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

IndioLa Quinta
People
Population 91,950Highest 38,707Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +17.2%Highest CA: +6.1% +0.2%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 38.6±1.1Lowest about the CA average 53.3±2.8Highest 41% above CA
Kids under 18 24.8%±1.6Highest CA: 22% 16.5%±2Lowest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 18.6%±1Lowest CA: 15.7% 31.6%±2.2Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.5%Lowest CA: 37.1% 40%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.5%±0.8Lowest CA: 7.6% 5.8%±1.2Highest CA: 7.6%
La Quinta and Indio are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $77,167±$6kLowest 22% below CA $99,250±$6kHighest about the CA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $458,400±$10kLowest 38% below CA $661,600±$24kHighest 10% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,437±$53Lowest 29% below CA $1,785±$141Highest 12% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,559Lowest 11% below CA $5,636Highest 10% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.9%±6.3Highest CA: 55.3% 55.1%±8.8Lowest CA: 55.3%
Indio and La Quinta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11.5%Highest CA: 12% 8.8%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.1%Lowest CA: 55.9% 75.7%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 2000Highest 24 yrs newer than CA 1999Lowest 23 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 20% below CA 26 minHighest 11% below CA
Work from home 5.1%±1Lowest CA: 17.2% 17.7%±2.5Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 16.3%Highest 13.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 mi 10.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.58Lowest 0.82Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Palm Desert (11%)Palm Desert (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 8% work in La Quinta9% work in Indio
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.2%Lowest 17.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 25.2 miLowest 112.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 miLowest 3.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 14Lowest 16Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 83.2Highest 64.5Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #462 of 574 in CA#235 of 574 in CA
School district Coachella Valley Unified · Desert Sands UnifiedDesert Sands Unified
High school in town Indio HighLa Quinta High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.6Lowest 24.8Highest
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Indio neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 6d

New to Indio Schools

1 neighbor in Indio can answer.

La Quinta neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to La Quinta’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Indio and La Quinta

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Indio

Towns like Indio

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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