BlytheCA, c. 1900
Blythe’s story
144 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,622 in 1920, a low of 1,020 in 1930, 18,317 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
- 1882Blythe is settled
BlytheCA
A town of 15,042, settled in 1882.
Population
15,042
2025 Census estimate · −17.9% since 2020
Typical home
$213K
−5.2% in a year
Household income
$57K
median
Median age
38.3
years
Jobs based here
4,798
Balanced
TownGrade
D
#553 of 841 in CA
Is Blythe a good place to live?
Blythe grades D overall, 553rd of 841 graded towns in California, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $57K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: a typical home costs about $213K, 2.4 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income. 36% of working residents work locally in Blythe, where California’s towns sit at 6.6% and U.S. towns at 8%. On hazard risk, just 39 of California’s 1,064 towns do better. Blythe is home to Palo Verde College.
What makes Blythe stand out
Where Blythe beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
WalkabilityA−
More walkable than 85% of U.S. towns
3.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Typical home value
Blythe$213K
California$762K
Cost of livingA−
More affordable than 75% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
College town
Palo Verde College calls Blythe home
College Scorecard · IPEDS
How Blythe grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Blythe is from typical.
HealthParker Indian Health Center 37.6 miles awayD−Open →Jobs & incomeDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 11.7 of 20; 9.5% of households have no carA−Open →SafetyCOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →SchoolsC+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 50% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors6% conserved landB+Open →History4 notable people born hereC−Open →Civic life2.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 109° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market117 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.3; 8% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Blythe: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Blythe, and how to reach them.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Blythe - water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers63% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Blythe’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereRiverside Registrar of VotersRiverside County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code9222592225 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Blythe.
Blythe trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
HousingCost of living grade A−
The median rent in Blythe is lower than in the typical California or U.S. town
Homes are within reach (about $213K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 78 miles. At 2.4 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income, the typical home (about $213K) costs less against local pay than in 99% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
The median rent in Blythe is $938 a month. Typical home values fell 5.2% in the year to September 2026. 57% of households own their home in Blythe.
$213KZillow home value
| Blythe | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $938 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 57% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Blythe$213K
California$762K
Market temperature
117
days on market
94.5%
sale-to-list price
−5.2%
value change, 1 year
10
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsC+
Blythe’s public schools trail 65% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Palo Verde Unified school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Palo Verde High, with 740 students.
35%of CA districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruth Brown ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 609 | – |
| Palo Verde HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 740 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HealthD−
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, more of Blythe’s adults have obesity
The nearest emergency room, Parker Indian Health Center, is 37.6 miles away in a straight line.
44% of Blythe adults have obesity. Blythe beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 24. 15% of Blythe adults have diabetes.
5%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Blythe | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 22% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 29% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 72% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 9% | 8.1% |
32 measures vs. California
1 better7 too close to call24 worse
| What stands out | Blythe | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.5% | 6.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16.3% | 7.3% |
Parker Indian Health Center
37.6 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
3rd
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SafetyC
Blythe reports more crime per resident than 75% of U.S. towns
At 31.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 56% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 349 to 172 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Blythe’s violent crime rate is 5.1 per 1,000 residents.
25%of U.S. towns report more crimeCSafety Grade
| Blythe | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Blythe5.1
California4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Blythe4.9
California18.2
U.S.15.5
25th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
44th
percentile among CA towns
88
violent crimes reported in 2025
84
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
Blythe has mild winters and hot summers
The Blythe weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 325 days, longer than in 97% of U.S. towns. The Blythe weather station records that about 188 days a year reach 90°, more than in 100% of U.S. towns.
Blythe has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. Among 846 California towns, just 1 have a higher July high than Blythe.
109°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter43–69°
Spring58–88°
Summer79–108°
Fall61–90°
+2.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
109°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Blythe has 0.8 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
The average commute for its 5,981 working residents takes 19 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
About one in 3 of Blythe’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Blythe has lost 343 jobs, to 4,798 in 2023. The top destinations are Ehrenberg (5%), Los Angeles (4%) and Riverside (3%).
36%work in town
| Blythe | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Blythe36%
Ehrenberg5%
Los Angeles4%
Riverside3%
San Diego3%
78 mi
median commute distance
4,798
jobs based in Blythe
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsB+
5.9% of Blythe is conserved land
10 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Gooseflats Wildlife Area, at 90 acres.
#583for trails in CA
| Blythe | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.9% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
5.9%
conserved · 1,018 of 17,385 acres
10 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gooseflats Wildlife Area | 0.5 mi | 90 |
| 2. Quechan Park | — | 25 |
| 3. Todd Park | — | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Moderate risk in Blythe, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 92% of California towns, with expected losses of about $254 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Blythe since 2000.
50risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesHeat waves
1
paid flood claims since 2000
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Blythe
20pages on Blythe
The big questions
SchoolsC+Behind 65% of CA districts · 5 schoolsSafetyC5.1 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthD−Better than CA on 1 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA−$213K typical home · down 5.2% in a yearWork & commuteD$57K median household income · 4,798 jobs hereNatural hazardsB−FEMA risk higher than 50% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Blythe
About 9 of every 100 Blythe residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
A shrinking town
Blythe has shrunk 28% since 2010
20,817 counted in 2010 and 18,317 in 2020; an estimated 15,042 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 17.9% since 2020, after 12% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Famous people from Blythe
4 notable people were born in Blythe.
About Blythe
City in California, United States
Blythe () is a city in eastern Riverside County, California, United States. It is in the Palo Verde Valley of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River, approximately 224 miles (360 km) east of Los Angeles and 150 miles (240 km) west of Phoenix. Blythe was named after Thomas Henry Blythe, a San Francisco financier, who established primary water rights to the Colorado River in the region in 1877. The city was incorporated on July 21, 1916. The population was 18,317 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 27 sq mi
- Elevation
- 272 ft
- ZIP code
- 92225, 92226
- Area code
- 760
Blythe’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Blythe.
EhrenbergBlythe
Questions about Blythe
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Blythe, CA a good place to live?
Blythe grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #553 of 841 in California. It grades D− for health, C for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Blythe, CA expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
What is Blythe, CA known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Gary Goddard and Tony Eason.