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Desert Shores, CA, 6-29-2008
California›Imperial County
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Desert ShoresCA

In California, this town has 801 residents.

Photo: Squelle · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo of Desert Shores

Desert Shores, CA · Photo: Squelle · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗

Population
801
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$179K
Census ACS
Household income
$37K
median
Median age
47.4
years
Jobs based here
68
A commuter town

Is Desert Shores a good place to live?

Desert Shores’ July high is 108°F, against 89°F in California’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. No town among the 848 in California we compare has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than Desert Shores. Desert Shores has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

801 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Coachella · 21 miLa Quinta · 21 mi
Desert Shores, CA, 6-29-2008
Desert Shores, CA, 6-29-2008, 2008
Desert Shores’s story

Desert Shores in pictures

Census counts: 792 in 2000, 1,128 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 2 maps from 1956 on.

Explore the history →
Getting set up

Moving to Desert Shores: who provides what

Desert Shores is unincorporated, so Imperial County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerImperial Irrigation District18.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet3 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesImperial CountyImperial County provides services here
SchoolsCoachella Valley Unified School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereImperial County Registrar of VotersImperial County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code9227492274 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 Shores.

Natural hazards

Desert Shores has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from earthquakes

Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 85% of U.S. communities.

85risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
85Very high riskLowerHigher
EarthquakesInland flooding
Full pageDesert Shores’ hazards pageOpen the page
What it facesVery high riskFlood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on recordPast disasters13 disaster declarations · Declared for the countyGet readyReady for earthquakes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

Most of Desert Shores’ workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them

The share of residents in Desert Shores who live below the poverty line: 5.5%. For most workers, Desert Shores is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. Jobs in the town fell by 439 from 2013 to 2023, to 68. The top destinations are Salton City (9%), San Diego (7%) and Los Angeles (6%).

1%work in town
Desert ShoresCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line5.5%10%9.6%
Working residents who work in town0.7%6.6%8%
Average trip to work28 minutes28 minutes25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Desert Shores1%
Salton City9%
San Diego7%
Los Angeles6%
Oasis5%
66 mi
median commute distance
68
jobs based in Desert Shores
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Full pageDesert Shores’ work & commute pageOpen the page
The jobs here68 jobs based here · A commuter townWhere people work1% work in Desert ShoresCommute times28 minutes · The average commuteHow far they goHalf commute less than 66 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Desert Shores has mild winters and hot summers

July afternoons reach 108°, January nights drop to 44° and snow is almost unheard of.

108°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter44–72°
Spring59–88°
Summer77–106°
Fall61–91°
+2.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
108°
typical summer high
Full pageDesert Shores’ climate pageOpen the page
A year of weatherJuly highs 108°, January lows 44°Rain & snow3″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard ofHeating & coolingMostly a cooling billThen and now+2.2° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

More of Desert Shores’ adults sleep under 7 hours than in the typical California or U.S. town

In Desert Shores, 32% of adults worry about having enough food. The town does better than the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 17.

Desert ShoresCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)33%22%19%
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)32%16%14%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)68%72%79%
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)25%9%8.1%
32 measures vs. California
1 better14 too close to call17 worse
What stands outDesert ShoresCA
Fewer adults who have had cancer4.9%6.4%
More uninsured adults24.7%10.6%
John F Kennedy Memorial Hospital
23.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
Full pageDesert Shores’ health reportOpen the page
Everyday habitsMore adults who get no exerciseHospitals & doctors nearby23.7 miles to an ER · John F Kennedy Memorial HospitalHow adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor healthEvery CDC estimateBetter than CA on 1 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

$220Kmedian sale price
0
homes sold in September
Full pageDesert Shores’ housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page
Prices over the yearsPrices over the yearsYears of income to buyA typical home costs 5.9 years of incomeRentsRents

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Nearby attractions

Salton Sea and 15 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Desert Shores. Close and well known come first.

All 24 attractions →
Big draw12 mi LakeSalton SeaBig draw20 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year16 mi LakeLake Cahuilla28 mi MountainNiland Geyser31 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena23 mi State parkAnza-Borrego Desert State Park
Sources: 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 · Acrisure Arena: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: No machine-readable author provided. Miskatonic assumed (based on copyright clai, CC BY 2.5

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Desert Shores

15pages on Desert Shores
The big questions
HealthBetter than CA on 1 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingWork & commute$37K median household income · 68 jobs hereNatural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 85% of U.S. communities · earthquakes
Out and about
PlacesAttractions24 nearby · North Shore Beach and Yacht Club 10 miLibrarySalton City LibraryColleges
The story
HistoryClimate108° summer highs
Day to day
NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Desert Shores; the nearest are

College of the DesertCommunity college · Public · Palm Desert30.3 mi$1,326 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-San MarcosUniversity or college · Public · San Marcos67.4 mi$8,082 in-state tuition

About 5 of every 100 Desert Shores residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Desert Shores for work

Where Desert Shores’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

9% → Salton City Salton City 9% 7% → San Diego San Diego 7% 6% → Los Angeles Los Angeles 6% 5% → Oasis Oasis 5% 4% → Coachella Coachella 4% 4% → Vista Santa Rosa Vista Santa Rosa 4% Desert Shores · 1% stay
68jobs based in Desert Shores
1%of working residents work in town
66 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Desert Shores

Place in California, United States

Desert Shores (formerly Fish Springs) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Imperial County, California, US. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Desert Shores had a population of 1,128.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
0.8 sq mi
Elevation
-197 ft

Questions about Desert Shores

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Desert Shores, CA a good place to live?

Desert Shores has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.