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La Quinta vs Indio

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

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La Quinta, CAHomes around $735KCalifornia · 38,707 people
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Indio, CAHomes around $509KCalifornia · 91,950 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.

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

La Quinta and Indio share a border

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

La QuintaIndioLa QuintaIndio
La Quinta ↔ Indio6.8 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
La QuintaIndio
Snow a year0″0″
January low47°F47°F
July high106°F106°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th94th
Outdoors & history
La QuintaIndio
Conserved land17.5%3.2%
Settled—1873
Archive photos714
Famous people born here—22
Community
La QuintaIndio
Library hours a week53 hrs38 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

La QuintaIndio
People
Population 38,707Lowest 91,950Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.2%Lowest CA: +6.1% +17.2%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 53.3±2.8Highest 41% above CA 38.6±1.1Lowest about the CA average
Kids under 18 16.5%±2Lowest CA: 22% 24.8%±1.6Highest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 31.6%±2.2Highest CA: 15.7% 18.6%±1Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 40%Highest CA: 37.1% 20.5%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.8%±1.2Highest CA: 7.6% 5.5%±0.8Lowest 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 $99,250±$6kHighest about the CA average $77,167±$6kLowest 22% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $661,600±$24kHighest 10% below CA $458,400±$10kLowest 38% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,785±$141Highest 12% below CA $1,437±$53Lowest 29% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,636Highest 10% above CA $4,559Lowest 11% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.1%±8.8Lowest CA: 55.3% 57.9%±6.3Highest 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 8.8%Lowest CA: 12% 11.5%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 75.7%Highest CA: 55.9% 67.1%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1999Lowest 23 yrs newer than CA 2000Highest 24 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 11% below CA 23 minLowest 20% below CA
Work from home 17.7%±2.5Highest CA: 17.2% 5.1%±1Lowest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 13.1%Lowest 16.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 mi 10.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.82Highest 0.58Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Palm Desert (13%)Palm Desert (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 9% work in Indio8% work in La Quinta
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 17.5%Highest 3.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 112.9 miHighest 25.2 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 3.2 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 14Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 64.5Lowest 83.2Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #235 of 574 in CA#462 of 574 in CA
School district Desert Sands UnifiedCoachella Valley Unified · Desert Sands Unified
High school in town La Quinta HighIndio High
Students per teacherat that high school 24.8Highest 23.6Lowest
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.

La Quinta neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to La Quinta’s Town Square.

Indio neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 6d

New to Indio Schools

1 neighbor in Indio can answer.

Add a town

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Bordering La Quinta

Towns like La Quinta

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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