Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,957.
Idyllwild-Pine Cove grades D overall, 589th of 841 graded towns in California, mostly because of incomes. The median household income is $74K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it has 70 miles of trail and 47% conserved land. 47% of the land in Idyllwild-Pine Cove is conserved, above both California’s towns (4.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). On hazard risk, just 9 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. The biggest place to walk is San Bernardino National Forest, 3,488 acres with 40 miles of trail.
Where Idyllwild-Pine Cove beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
46.8% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Idyllwild-Pine Cove is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,959 in 1980, 4,163 in 2020. The archive holds 2 maps from 1940 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Idyllwild-Pine Cove is unincorporated, so Riverside County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Idyllwild-Pine Cove.
Idyllwild-Pine Cove is a second-home town, keeps more of its land conserved than most of California and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of California.
Its 4,092 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 97% of California towns.
71 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Bernardino National Forest | 40 mi | 3,488 |
| 2. Mount San Jacinto State Park | 3.9 mi | 399 |
| 3. San Jacinto Wilderness | 2.4 mi | 566 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The public schools here belong to the Hemet Unified school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Idyllwild-Pine Cove’s only public school teaches 268 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| IdyllwildLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 268 | – |
| Idyllwild Arts Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 265 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
FEMA puts 77% of Idyllwild-Pine Cove’s expected hazard losses down to wildfires, and 12% to inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
51.2% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 2.4% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
The share of residents in Idyllwild-Pine Cove who are under 18: 13%. People 65 and older are 27% of residents (16% statewide); children under 18 are 13% of residents (22% statewide). For Idyllwild-Pine Cove, the age of the median resident is 48.5 years. Four-year graduates: 46% of adults 25 and older here, 37% across California.
| Idyllwild-Pine Cove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 13% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 48.5 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 29% | 29% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.8 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Idyllwild-Pine Cove | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.3% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.9% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.2% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.1% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.1% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 12.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.3% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 23.1% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,000, single groups can be off by several points
Just over one in ten adults worry about having enough food in Idyllwild-Pine Cove. CDC measures, 32 in all: Idyllwild-Pine Cove beats California on 14 and trails on 9.
| Idyllwild-Pine Cove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Idyllwild-Pine Cove | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 33.3°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 85% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 85.2°.
In Idyllwild-Pine Cove, the January low is 33°F. About 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Idyllwild-Pine Cove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 33°F | 41°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
27.9% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
The median commute is under 39 miles. Jobs based in Idyllwild-Pine Cove grew to 971 in 2023, 212 more than in 2013. Its mean commuting time stands at 23 minutes. The top destinations are San Diego (5%), Los Angeles (4%) and Hemet (3%).
| Idyllwild-Pine Cove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Sellers in Idyllwild-Pine Cove got 94.8% of the asking price, typically. Idyllwild-Pine Cove’s going rate for rent comes in at $1,554 a month. Homes sold in Idyllwild-Pine Cove spent a median 75 days on the market.
| Idyllwild-Pine Cove | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,554 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Idyllwild-Pine Cove. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
6 mi MountainSan Jacinto Peak
22 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena
25 mi MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain17 mi LandmarkForest Lawn Cemetery
37 mi LakeBig Bear LakeJoshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · San Jacinto Peak: Wattewyl, CC BY 3.0 · Acrisure Arena: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · San Gorgonio Mountain: Doc Searls, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Big Bear Lake: H.G. Judd, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Idyllwild-Pine Cove
About 9 of every 100 Idyllwild-Pine Cove residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Community in Riverside County
Idyllwild, Pine Cove, and Fern Valley are three adjacent unincorporated communities in the San Jacinto Mountains in Riverside County, California, United States. Idyllwild has the largest population of the three. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Idyllwild–Pine Cove as a census-designated place (CDP). The CDP's population was 4,163 at the 2020 census, up from 3,874 at the 2010 census. Idyllwild is adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail. "Mile-high Idyllwild" is a mountain resort about one-mile (1,600 m) in altitude. Idyllwild is flanked by two large rock formations, Tahquitz Peak and Suicide Rock, which are famous in Southern California rock-climbing circles.…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Idyllwild-Pine Cove.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idyllwild-Pine Cove | #589 | D | D | — | C+ | B+ |
| Mountain Center | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Idyllwild-Pine Cove reports no FBI crime data of its own. Mountain Center isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Idyllwild-Pine Cove with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Idyllwild-Pine Cove grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #589 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $532,000, 30% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
