Desert Edge, California 1 of 3, 2025
Desert Edge’s story
Desert Edge in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2025 and 3 maps from 1941 on.
Explore the history →Desert EdgeCA
A town of 3,778.
Population
3,778
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$76K
Census ACS
Household income
$37K
median
Median age
63.7
years
Jobs based here
105
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#271 of 841 in CA
Is Desert Edge a good place to live?
Desert Edge gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $76K, less than a year of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 271st of 841 graded towns in California. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top, and the median household income is $37K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns. 46% of residents are 65 or older in Desert Edge, against 16% in California’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Only 70 of California’s 1,064 towns score lower on the outdoors.
What makes Desert Edge stand out
Where Desert Edge beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Desert Edge for work
Where Desert Edge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
105jobs based in Desert Edge
2%of working residents work in town
23 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Desert Edge grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Desert Edge is from typical.
Its grades run from A for cost of living (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 2%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listD−Open →Cost of livingAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 10.1 of 20; 8.6% of households have no carAOpen →Jobs & incomeDOpen →HealthLess healthy than 81% of U.S. towns; Desert Regional Medical Center 8.4 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsBehind 57% of California districts on tests and graduationC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 42 attractions →Joshua Tree National Park and 19 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Desert Edge. Close and well known come first.
Big draw3 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
12 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena
16 mi MountainSan Jacinto Peak7 mi LandmarkForest Lawn Cemetery
25 mi MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain
38 mi LakeBig Bear LakeSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Joshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Acrisure Arena: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · San Jacinto Peak: Wattewyl, CC BY 3.0 · San Gorgonio Mountain: Doc Searls, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Big Bear Lake: H.G. Judd, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Desert Edge: who provides what
Desert Edge is unincorporated, so Riverside County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCoachella Vwd: I.d. No. 8 water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesRiverside CountyRiverside 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 hereRiverside Registrar of VotersRiverside County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code9224192241 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 Desert Edge.
Desert Edge is a second-home town, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Very high risk in Desert Edge, with earthquakes at the top
96risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC−
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, more of Desert Edge’s adults have diabetes
Against the 1,719 U.S. towns with household incomes like Desert Edge’s, it is healthier than 76%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of adults have diabetes in Desert Edge. Only 3 of the 847 California towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Desert Edge. 39% of adults have obesity in Desert Edge.
19%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Desert Edge | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 16% | 16% |
32 measures vs. California
7 better7 too close to call18 worse
| What stands out | Desert Edge | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.5% | 15.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.2% | 71.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.4% | 5.1% |
Desert Regional Medical Center
8.4 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
14th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
In Desert Edge, the median household income runs lower than in the typical California or U.S. town
Desert Edge has 105 jobs for its 1,257 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 20.4 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Among 846 California towns, just 6 have a lower median household income than Desert Edge. The average trip to work in Desert Edge is 20 minutes. Since 2013, Desert Edge has lost 59 jobs, to 105 in 2023.
2%work in town
| Desert Edge | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $37,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.5% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Desert Edge2%
Palm Springs12%
Palm Desert9%
Cathedral City5%
Desert Hot Springs5%
23 mi
median commute distance
105
jobs based in Desert Edge
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
#419for trails in CA
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,447 acres
2.0 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Desert Edge has mild winters and hot summers
The Palm Springs weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 183 days a year reach 90°, more than in 100% of U.S. towns. January nights average 44.4°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 105°.
Desert Edge has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. Desert Edge’s July high is 105°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
105°summer high
| Desert Edge | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 105°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter45–67°
Spring57–83°
Summer73–103°
Fall60–87°
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
105°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Desert Edge
17pages on Desert Edge
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Desert Edge
California Indian Nations CollegeCommunity college · Public · Palm Desert11.4 mi$7,743 in-state tuitionCollege of the DesertCommunity college · Public · Palm Desert13.5 mi$1,326 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Desert Edge residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Desert Edge
Place in California, United States
Desert Edge is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Riverside County, California, United States. Desert Edge sits at an elevation of 994 feet (303 m). The 2020 United States census reported Desert Edge's population was 4,180.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 994 ft
Questions about Desert Edge
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Desert Edge, CA a good place to live?
Desert Edge grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #271 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Desert Edge, CA expensive?
Not for the area. That is 0.9 years of the area's median household income ($89,662 across the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro 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.