Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hemet grades D− overall, ranked 777th of 841 in California, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 87% of the country. Its crime rate is higher than 80% of U.S. towns, with 365 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 74% of U.S. towns. Hemet’s July high is 97°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Hemet's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top.
Where Hemet beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
James Lafferty78,657 counted in 2010 and 89,833 in 2020; an estimated 93,649 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 Hemet is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 992 in 1910, 89,833 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hemet, 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 Hemet.
Hemet has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and fares better on crime within California than nationally, but it has household incomes well below the California norm.
Since 1978, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hemet.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Hemet Unified school district. Three of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Valley MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,123 | D− |
| West Valley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,857 | C+ |
| Western Center AcademyTop results in townGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 762 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
31% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Hemet. Hemet beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 24. 19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Hemet.
| Hemet | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Hemet | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.3% | 15.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.4% | 71.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median property tax bill is $2,431, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Hemet home is worth about $442,000, up 0.6% in a year, 42% below the California typical home. Hemet’s median rent is $1,575 a month.
| Hemet | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 62% | 55% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,575 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 35.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 67% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 2,229 to 2,119 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Hemet is 3.9 per 1,000 residents. Hemet reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 80% report less. The property crime rate in Hemet is 18.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Hemet | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.7 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 32,777 working residents takes 36.4 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Most working residents leave Hemet for work: only 12% work in town. 15% of Hemet residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Hemet has added 1,648 jobs, to 18,737 in 2023.
| Hemet | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The San Jacinto weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 315 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. The San Jacinto weather station records that about 120 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Hemet has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 97°, January nights drop to 38° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
10 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Southwestern Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve, at 638 acres.
| Hemet | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.8% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mary Henley Park | 0.5 mi | 15 |
| 2. Southwestern Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve | — | 638 |
| 3. Diamond Valley Lake Community Park | — | 97 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hemet. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
19 mi MountainSan Jacinto Peak
27 mi MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain
38 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena
14 mi MuseumOrange Empire Railway Museum
35 mi LakeBig Bear LakeJoshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · San Jacinto Peak: Wattewyl, CC BY 3.0 · San Gorgonio Mountain: Doc Searls, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Acrisure Arena: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Orange Empire Railway Museum: The original uploader was Pretzelpaws at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Big Bear Lake: H.G. Judd, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hemet
About 6 of every 100 Hemet residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Hemet’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
15 notable people were born in Hemet.
City in California, United States
Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of 29.3 square miles (76 km2), about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto. The population was 89,833 at the 2020 census. It borders San Jacinto to the north, East Hemet to the east, Polly Butte and Diamond Valley Lake to the south, and Green Acres to the west. The founding of Hemet predates the formation of Riverside County. This area was then still part of San Diego County. The formation of Lake Hemet helped the city to grow and stimulated agriculture in the area. The city is known for being the home of The Ramona Pageant, California's off…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Hemet.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hemet | #777 | D− | C− | C− | C+ | D |
| San Jacinto | #757 | D− | D | C | C+ | C− |
| East Hemet | #747 | D− | C− | — | C+ | C− |
| Sage | #583 | D | C− | — | C+ | B |
| Winchester | #682 | D | D | — | C+ | C+ |
| Valle Vista | #786 | D− | C− | — | C+ | D |
| Green Acres | #705 | D− | C | — | C+ | C− |
East Hemet, Sage, Winchester, Valle Vista and Green Acres report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hemet with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hemet grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #777 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. That is 4.9 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 C−.
15 notable people were born here, including James Lafferty and Jeff Van Gundy.
