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Town

Palm Desert

#5 in Best Places to Live in Riverside County
  • B
    Overall Grade
  • Town in California
  • 127 reviews
B
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Public Schools
    B
  2. Crime & Safety
    B-
  3. Housing
    C-
  4. Nightlife
    B+
  5. Good for Families
    B-
  6. Diversity
    A
  7. Jobs
    B-
  8. Weather
    A-
  9. Cost of Living
    C-
  10. Health & Fitness
    A-
  11. Outdoor Activities
    A-
  12. Commute
    B+
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Population
51,045

Real Estate

Median Home Value
$316,300
National
$184,700
Median Rent
$1,156
National
$949
Area Feel
Suburban
Rent vs. Own
  • Rent
    40%
  • Own
    60%
Sponsored Mortgage Options for Palm Desert
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Palm Desert Rankings

Niche ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census and and expert insights.

Crime & Safety

Crime & Safety
B-
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Violent Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Assault
    91
    283
  • Murder
    2
    6
  • Rape
    6
    41
  • Robbery
    49
    136
Property Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Burglary
    723
    500
  • Theft
    3,019
    2,043
  • Motor Vehicle Theft
    339
    284
Home Security Options for Palm Desert
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  • 24/7 Whole home protection with no contract
  • CNET Editor’s choice winner 2018

Residents

Diversity
A
Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
Median Household Income
$53,701
National
$55,322
Children
14%
Education Levels
National
  • Master's degree or higher
    14%
    12%
  • Bachelor's degree
    21%
    19%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    36%
    29%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    21%
    28%
  • Less than high school diploma
    8%
    13%
  • Public Schools
  • Private Schools
  • Colleges
Places like Palm Desert
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Palm Desert Reviews

127 reviews
All Categories
Palm Desert has taught me the importance of volunteering for all. I've come to learn with increasing depth the common challenges and experiences that unite us all. My experience has given me an opportunity to use my education and skills not only to enhance human physical abilities but also to educate people in order to prevent further illness. Improving an individual's quality of life is the city's core motivator. In addition, I thoroughly enjoy being in a town working toward the same goal of restoring people to full health. Everything I learned through my volunteer work motivates me to serve in a variety of communities. In our work we developed an enjoyment by helping increase health equity, decrease disparities, and improve the health in vulnerable communities.
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I moved to Palm Desert 18 years ago after living in Orange County foseveral years. My husband and I were looking for a nice place to raise our son who was three at the time. Orange County was great extremely expensive and too crowded and difficult to enjoy. Plam Desert is a special place where people can enjoy a small town feel with many activities: a zoo, The Living Desert, many hiking trails, nearby mountains, a exquisite public outdoor pool, a mall, many golf courses and clubs,parks and just an hour away from the beach and two hours fron San Diego... Schools are great and safe. People are friendly and communte is very easy and accessible. This town is in constant growth without becoming too overwhelming. Many people of various ages come to live here from "snow birds" to retirees to younger families.
Palm Desert is a great city! Low crime rate, no graffitti, art culture here is amazing. College of the desert is right here and everything in palm desert is basically within walkin distance. Great plave for students and its why i am here - to get certified as a drug and alcohol counselor. Plus this is like the recovery capital of the world