Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Desert Hot Springs grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns. Its place in the ranking is 739th of 841 in California. The weak point is health (D): CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 86% of the country. It also trails on incomes: the median household income is $53K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. Hazard risk is weaker too (D−) — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Homes run about $373K for a typical one, 4.2 times the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income. Where it does best is walkability: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 86% of U.S. towns. Desert Hot Springs's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 99% of U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow.
Where Desert Hot Springs beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
25,938 counted in 2010 and 32,512 in 2020; an estimated 34,009 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Desert Hot Springs is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 86% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 4%), so the D− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,472 in 1960, 32,512 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Desert Hot Springs. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
17 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena
13 mi MountainSan Jacinto Peak
19 mi MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain11 mi LandmarkForest Lawn Cemetery
32 mi LakeBig Bear LakeJoshua 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Desert Hot Springs, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Desert Hot Springs.
Desert Hot Springs fares better on crime within California than nationally, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
The trail density for Desert Hot Springs comes to 1.5 miles per square mile. Trails run 46 miles in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Sand to Snow National Monument, 1,464 acres with 1.7 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sand to Snow National Monument | 1.7 mi | 1,464 |
| 2. Devil's Garden | 0.8 mi | 59 |
| 3. Guy Tedesco Park | 0.7 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Of its 8 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The Palm Springs Unified school district runs its public schools. 6 public schools serve Desert Hot Springs, with 4,028 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bella Vista ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 779 | – |
| Desert Hot Springs HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,687 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
54% of Desert Hot Springs’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 45%. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1978: 13. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2023.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Desert Hot Springs’ midpoint rent is $1,412 a month, below California’s towns ($1,898 a month) but above U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). For households in the town, the share who live in a home they own is 51%. A typical home here is worth about $373,000, down 1% in a year, 51% below the California typical home. On the market locally: a median 72 days to sell.
| Desert Hot Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,412 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 6,711 U.S. towns with household incomes like Desert Hot Springs’s, it is less healthy than 71%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Desert Hot Springs, 30% say their health is fair or poor and 41% have obesity. 70% of adults had a checkup this year in the town, below both the California town median (72%) and the median of U.S. towns (79%). Desert Hot Springs: a third of adults get no exercise outside work. Of 32 CDC measures, Desert Hot Springs beats the California average on 1 and trails it on 22.
| Desert Hot Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 22% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 29% | 35% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Desert Hot Springs | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.6% | 6.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.7% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 31.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 56% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 645 to 521 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
For Desert Hot Springs, the violent offense rate is 4.8 per 1,000 residents. The property offense rate in the town is 10.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Desert Hot Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jobs based here grew from 2,627 in 2013 to 4,400.
Half commute less than 19 miles. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Desert Hot Springs rose by 1,773, to 4,400. The share of workers in Desert Hot Springs who do their job from home: 5.8%. The top destinations are Palm Springs (15%), Palm Desert (8%) and Rancho Mirage (5%).
| Desert Hot Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 5.8% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Joshua Tree weather station, 20 miles away, records that about 130 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. January nights average 41.9°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 104.6°.
Snow is a rarity. Also worth knowing: in Desert Hot Springs, the July high is 105°F.
| Desert Hot Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 105°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 42°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Desert Hot Springs; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Desert Hot Springs residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Desert Hot Springs’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in California, United States
Desert Hot Springs is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is located within the Coachella Valley geographic region. The population was 32,512 as of the 2020 census, up from 25,938 at the 2010 census. The city has experienced rapid growth since the 1970s when there were 2,700 residents. The city is commonly referred to by its initials, DHS. It is named for its many natural hot springs. It is one of several places in the world with naturally occurring hot and cold mineral springs. More than 20 natural mineral spring lodgings can be found in town. Unlike hot springs with high sulfur content, the mineral springs in town are odorless.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Desert Hot Springs.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Palm Springs (D) is closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Hot Springs | #739 | D− | C− | C | C+ | D |
| Garnet | #626 | D | C | — | C+ | D |
| Palm Springs | #666 | D | D | D | C+ | B− |
| Cathedral City | #611 | D | D | C+ | C+ | C |
Garnet reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Desert Hot Springs with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Desert Hot Springs grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #739 of 841 in California. It grades D for health, C for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
