Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A tough set of grades. Joshua Tree’s overall grade is D, better than 9% of U.S. towns. Its place in the ranking is 617th of 841 in California. The weak point is incomes: the median household income is $66K, and nearly a quarter of residents live below the poverty line. It also trails on schools (C): its schools rank behind 71% of the state's. Hazard risk is weaker too — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Where it does best is walkability: it is more walkable than three fifths of U.S. towns. At about $348K, a typical home costs 3.9 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow.
Where Joshua Tree beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
26.1% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Joshua Tree is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,211 in 1970, 6,489 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 4 maps from 1955 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Joshua Tree. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
24 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena
29 mi MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain
30 mi MountainSan Jacinto Peak
39 mi LakeBig Bear Lake23 mi LandmarkForest Lawn CemeteryJoshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Acrisure Arena: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · San Gorgonio Mountain: Doc Searls, CC BY-SA 2.0 · San Jacinto Peak: Wattewyl, CC BY 3.0 · Big Bear Lake: H.G. Judd, CC BY-SA 3.0
Joshua Tree is unincorporated, so San Bernardino 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 Joshua Tree.
Joshua Tree has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the California rate.
The biggest place to walk is Mojave Desert Land Trust, 3,169 acres with 15.1 miles of trail. 173 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mojave Desert Land Trust | 15.1 mi | 3,169 |
| 2. Desert View Conservation Area | 8.6 mi | 604 |
| 3. Sunburst Park | 0.5 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The public schools here belong to the Morongo Unified school district. The 2 public schools in Joshua Tree teach 516 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly Hills ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 266 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
The typical value, about $348K, is 28% below its July 2022 peak. At about $348K, home values are down 8% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
On the market in Joshua Tree: a median 47 days to sell. Its rent at the middle of the market is $1,246 a month, below California’s towns ($1,898 a month) and close to U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Homes locally are typically worth about $348,000, up 2.4% in a year, 54% below the California typical home.
| Joshua Tree | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,246 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Households in Joshua Tree have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. FEMA puts 48% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 43% to earthquakes.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
27% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Joshua Tree’s mean commuting time is 30 minutes, where California’s towns sit at 28 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Just 7% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. In Joshua Tree, 23% of residents live below the poverty line. Jobs locally fell by 128 from 2013 to 2023, to 1,116.
| Joshua Tree | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Yucca Valley weather station records that about 109 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 97.3°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 37.9°.
For Joshua Tree, the typical July afternoon high is 97°F. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Joshua Tree | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 97°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 38°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,128 U.S. towns with household incomes like Joshua Tree’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Just over a third of Joshua Tree adults feel lonely. The town beats the California average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. Two figures for adults locally: 16% report frequent physical distress, 24% say their health is fair or poor.
| Joshua Tree | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 19% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Joshua Tree | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.1% | 10.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 74.5% | 71.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Joshua Tree
About 5 of every 100 Joshua Tree residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
7,414 counted in 2010 and 6,489 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Census-designated place in California, United States
Joshua Tree is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 6,489 at the 2020 census. At approximately 2,700 feet (820 meters) above sea level, Joshua Tree and its surrounding communities are located in the High Desert of California. The center of the business district in Joshua Tree is on California State Route 62.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Joshua Tree.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Tree | #617 | D | C+ | — | C | C+ |
| Yucca Valley | #754 | D− | C− | — | C | C |
Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Joshua Tree with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Joshua Tree grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #617 of 841 in California. It grades C+ for health and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
