Housing Value★★★★★★★★★★2.4 / 5Home values compared with local household income.
Living in Palm Desert, CA
Explore Palm Desert and see how it fits the life you want to build.
Overall Match6.2 / 10
Baseline match from currently available location scores. Choose priorities to personalize it.
Palm Desert at a Glance
Key facts and current data
Population51,990
Median Household Income$77,513
Median Home Value$542,000
Median Gross Rent$1,778
Median Age57.5
Average Household Size2.1
Unemployment6.4%
Work From Home14.9%
Homeownership65.0%
Housing Vacancy33.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year.
Palm Desert is a mid-sized community where local neighborhoods, nearby job centers and regional access can matter as much as citywide averages. Housing costs are high relative to local household income, making affordability one of the more important factors to examine before relocating here.
Experience the Area
Experience Life in Palm Desert Before You Move
Explore Short-Term Stays in Palm Desert →Stay options powered by Stay22 · affiliate
NarrowTheList highly recommends you spend a week or two in Palm Desert and experience everyday life before deciding whether it is the right place to call home. Use that time to explore neighborhoods, drive your normal routes, shop where residents shop, and get a feel for the area at different times of day.
NarrowTheList Ratings
Data-driven starter ratings. More categories appear automatically as new datasets are added.
Housing & Cost of Living in Palm Desert
Current housing indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau
Median Home Value$542,000
Median Gross Rent$1,778
Homeownership65.0%
Housing Vacancy33.3%
Home values are relatively high compared with local household income, so purchase affordability deserves close attention. The housing mix leans toward owner-occupied homes while still supporting a meaningful rental market.
Jobs, Income & Remote Work
Employment and household-income context for Palm Desert, CA
Median Household Income$77,513
Unemployment6.4%
Work From Home14.9%
The reported unemployment rate is elevated enough to warrant a closer look at current local employment conditions. A meaningful share of employed residents work from home.
Population & Household Profile
Who lives in Palm Desert and how households are structured
Population51,990
Median Age57.5
Average Household Size2.1
Palm Desert is a mid-sized community where neighborhood and nearby-employment patterns can materially affect a relocation decision.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year. NarrowTheList presents these values as relocation context; conditions can vary within a community.
Climate & Weather in Palm Desert
Long-term NOAA climate normals and practical seasonal context
NOAA climate normals for Palm Desert point to very hot summers, mild winters, a relatively dry annual rainfall pattern and little to no annual snowfall.
Average Summer High105.8°F
Average Winter Low46.8°F
Annual Rainfall5.0 in.
Annual Snowfall0.0 in.
Seasonal Life in Palm Desert
What the long-term climate pattern may mean for everyday living.
Spring
Spring should generally favor outdoor activity, although a relatively dry annual pattern makes water use, landscaping and local drought conditions worth noticing.
Summer
Very hot summer conditions can materially affect daily routines, cooling costs, vehicles, pets and outdoor activity. A summer visit is especially valuable before committing to a move.
Fall
Fall marks a substantial seasonal transition here. It is a useful time to judge how quickly temperatures change and whether that seasonal swing fits the lifestyle you want.
Winter
Winter lows are relatively mild and measurable snowfall is minimal, so winter living is more likely to revolve around cool or wet conditions than snow removal and prolonged freezes.
Source: NOAA/NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Seasonal descriptions are relocation context derived from the available long-term normals, not a forecast.
Palm Desert is located in Riverside County, but city-level housing, income and neighborhood conditions can differ meaningfully from countywide averages. Riverside County.
County Intelligence
Palm Desert & Riverside County
Data Pending
Foreclosure Activity
Palm Desert is located in Riverside County, California.
NarrowTheList uses county-level information alongside local community data because many factors that matter when choosing a place to live are measured beyond city boundaries. Housing, property taxes, employment, healthcare access and other regional characteristics can add useful context to the picture of life in Palm Desert.
Current NarrowTheList data for Palm Desert shows a population of about 51,990. These local figures become more useful when read together with county-level tax, housing, foreclosure and demographic conditions rather than treated as isolated city statistics.
Foreclosure Activity: Data Pending. A county-specific foreclosure signal is not available yet.
For someone comparing homes, county boundaries can matter because taxes, public services, court and recording systems, assessment practices and housing-market conditions are often administered or reported at the county level. NarrowTheList keeps that county relationship attached to the community so future tax, foreclosure, housing and demographic data can be interpreted in the correct geographic context.
County relationship
Riverside County
How NarrowTheList uses it
County information is used as a supporting geographic layer, not as a substitute for local data. As more county datasets are added, NarrowTheList can use them to improve comparisons, ratings and relocation insights for Palm Desert.
For someone considering a move to Palm Desert, the available data currently points to housing affordability that deserves careful budgeting. These signals are most useful when considered alongside the specific neighborhood, commute and housing type that fit the household making the move.
Nearby Cities & Communities
Nearby incorporated cities, towns, villages and other municipalities shown by straight-line distance.