Salton Sea homes, 2004
Bombay Beach’s story
Bombay Beach in pictures
Census counts: 366 in 2000, 231 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1940 on.
Explore the history →
Bombay BeachCA
A town in California, home to 356 people.
Photo: The original uploader was Epolk at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5
Population
356
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$94K
Census ACS
Median age
52.8
years
Jobs based here
277
A job hub
Is Bombay Beach a good place to live?
55% of residents live below the poverty line in Bombay Beach, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Among 847 California towns, just 3 have a higher typical July afternoon high than Bombay Beach. Bombay Beach has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Bombay Beach stand out
Where Bombay Beach beats most towns.
Small town
356 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bombay Beach.
Work & commute
A job hub: Bombay Beach has 3.6 jobs for every working resident and draws in 273 commuters
5%work in town
Jobs based in Bombay Beach grew to 277 in 2023, 249 more than in 2013. Just 5% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The top destinations are Yuma (7%), San Diego (7%) and El Centro (5%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 80 miles.
Where working residents work
In Bombay Beach5%
Yuma7%
San Diego7%
El Centro5%
Somerton4%
80 mi
median commute distance
277
jobs based in Bombay Beach
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Bombay Beach faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
92risk score of 100
FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Bombay Beach than in 92% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 75% come from inland flooding and 22% from earthquakes.
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
The climate in Bombay Beach brings mild winters and hot summers
108°summer high
In Bombay Beach, the January low is 44°F.
Typical low → high °F
Winter44–72°
Spring59–89°
Summer78–107°
Fall62–91°
+2.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
108°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Bombay Beach stands out in California and nationally: a larger share of its adults say their health is fair or poor
26% of Bombay Beach adults report frequent physical distress. No town among the 848 in California we compare has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Bombay Beach. This California town beats the California average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 24. Also worth knowing: among 848 California towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Bombay Beach.
| Bombay Beach | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 11% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
3 better5 too close to call24 worse
| What stands out | Bombay Beach | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.5% | 15.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.6% | 71.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 19.4% | 5.1% |
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District
29.1 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bombay Beach
15pages on Bombay Beach
The big questions
The story
Day to day
Nearby attractions
All 18 attractions →Salton Sea and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bombay Beach. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi LakeSalton Sea
Big draw22 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
6 mi LakeLake Cahuilla
10 mi MountainNiland Geyser
16 mi LandmarkSalvation Mountain
39 mi State parkAnza-Borrego Desert State ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Salton Sea: NASA, Public domain · Joshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Cahuilla: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Niland Geyser: California Department of Transportation, Public domain · Salvation Mountain: Joe Decruyenaere, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: No machine-readable author provided. Miskatonic assumed (based on copyright clai, CC BY 2.5
Getting set up
Moving to Bombay Beach: who provides what
Bombay Beach is unincorporated, so Imperial County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerImperial Irrigation District18.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCoachella Vwd: Cove Community water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesImperial CountyImperial County provides services here
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 hereImperial County Registrar of VotersImperial County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code9225792257 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.
A job hub
Every workday, about 273 people come to Bombay Beach for work
Where Bombay Beach’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
277jobs based in Bombay Beach
5%of working residents work in town
80 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Bombay Beach; the nearest are
Imperial Valley CollegeCommunity college · Public · Imperial38.7 mi$1,148 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-San MarcosUniversity or college · Public · San Marcos84.2 mi$8,082 in-state tuition
College town 23 of every 100 Bombay Beach residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Bombay Beach
Census-designated place in California, United States
Bombay Beach is a census-designated place (CDP) in Imperial County, California, United States. It is located on the Salton Sea, 4 miles (6.4 km) west-southwest of Frink and is the lowest community in the United States, located 223 feet (68 m) below sea level. The population was 231 at the 2020 census, down from 295 in 2010, down from 366 in 2000. It is part of the El Centro, California, metropolitan statistical area. Bombay Beach was once a popular getaway for beachgoers until the 1980s, when the draining and increasing salinity of the Salton Sea destroyed the lake's ecosystem and drove businesses and private landowners out of the area, rendering Bombay Beach a ghost town. Despite this, by …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- -223 ft
- Area code
- 760
Questions about Bombay Beach
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bombay Beach, CA a good place to live?
Bombay Beach has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Bombay Beach is in here
Say something about Bombay Beach.
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