Household incomes in Desert Edge are lower than in 97% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Desert Edge D; getting around on foot earns it A. 17.8% of residents are in poverty, against 12.0% across California. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 4.3 in Riverside.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Desert Edge, in a few figures
Desert Edge is a place people come home to
There are 105 jobs based in Desert Edge, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Desert Edge has about 2,600 people in it, 30% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Home offices are common in Desert Edge
33% of Desert Edge workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Commutes from Desert Edge are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 29 across California. That’s about 69 hours a year less on the road than the typical California worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
42% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Desert Edge’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Desert Edge is better than 14% of U.S. towns, #762 of 847 in California. Job access by car holds Desert Edge’s grade up (ahead of 47% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($37,429, U.S. $80,734).
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Desert Edge could be anywhere from D to B−.
Who works in Desert Edge, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 1,226 residents head out to work, 31 work right here, and 74 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,600 people are in Desert Edge on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
0.08 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Getting to work from Desert Edge takes about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Desert Edge workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 682 commuters (the 33% who work from home are left out). Across California: 79% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Near or far: the trip to work from Desert Edge
About 42% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
12% of working residents work in Palm Springs
Where Desert Edge clocks in
12% of workers
9% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Most jobs in Desert Edge are in services
105 jobs are based in Desert Edge.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Desert Edge, 2013 → 2023: 164 → 105. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Desert Edge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Desert Edge is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Desert Edge is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns, #207 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Desert Edge near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,022 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 52% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 74% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 8.6% of Desert Edge households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Desert Edge’s commuters take a bus or train.
3,866th of 4,430: where Desert Edge ranks among U.S. towns of 2,600 to 5,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Del Mar CA | 3,858 | $199K | 2.7% | 1.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 76 | Broadmoor CA | 4,586 | $167K | 2.5% | 2.8% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 131 | Emerald Lake Hills CA | 4,235 | $250K | 4.6% | 2.6% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,864 | Yadkinville NC | 3,055 | $53K | 21.4% | 6.5% | 15% | D |
| 3,865 | Winner SD | 2,969 | $47K | 28.2% | 2.8% | 52% | D |
| 3,866 | Desert Edge CA | 3,778 | $37K | 17.8% | 6.0% | 2% | D |
| 3,867 | West Portsmouth OH | 2,605 | $42K | 13.1% | 6.4% | 5% | D |
| 3,868 | Fellsmere FL | 5,025 | $56K | 18.8% | 7.8% | 12% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 4,430 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Desert Edge, the top three, the last and three more from California.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Desert Edge: questions
What is the median household income in Desert Edge?
$37,429 (±$8,779) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Desert Edge?
17.8%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Desert Edge?
20 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 33% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Desert Edge work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Palm Springs (12%, 10 mi), Palm Desert (9%, 14 mi), Cathedral City (5%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Desert Edge walkable?
Desert Edge is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.1 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Desert Edge without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Desert Edge, from the people who make the trip.
More of Desert Edge
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.