Mecca, California, 2014
Mecca’s story
123 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,698 in 1980, 8,219 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 3 maps from 1941 on.
- 1903Mecca is settled
MeccaCA
A town of 7,184, settled in 1903.
Population
7,184
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$336K
+0.8% in a year
Household income
$48K
median
Median age
32.3
years
Jobs based here
780
A commuter town
TownGrade
D
#602 of 841 in CA
Is Mecca a good place to live?
Mecca earns a D, ranked 602nd of 841 in California, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $48K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: homes are within reach, about $336K for a typical one, or 3.7 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income. Mecca’s July high is 108°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top.
What makes Mecca stand out
Where Mecca beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Mecca for work
Where Mecca’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
780jobs based in Mecca
6%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Mecca grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Mecca is from typical.
HealthJohn F Kennedy Memorial Hospital 13.2 miles awayDOpen →Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listDOpen →Jobs & incomeDOpen →SchoolsC−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 11.1 of 20; 15.3% of households have no carB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 32.3; 5% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 24 attractions →Salton Sea and 17 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mecca. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi LakeSalton Sea
Big draw9 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
21 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena
35 mi MountainNiland Geyser
25 mi LakeLake Cahuilla
29 mi State parkAnza-Borrego Desert State ParkSources: 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 · Acrisure Arena: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Niland Geyser: California Department of Transportation, Public domain · Lake Cahuilla: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: No machine-readable author provided. Miskatonic assumed (based on copyright clai, CC BY 2.5
Getting set up
Moving to Mecca: who provides what
Mecca is unincorporated, so Riverside County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerImperial Irrigation District18.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCoachella Vwd: Cove Community water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers84% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesRiverside CountyRiverside County provides services here
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.govWho runs elections hereRiverside Registrar of VotersRiverside County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code9225492254 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 Mecca.
Mecca trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Indio and beyond.
HealthD
Mecca stands out in California and nationally: a larger share of its adults say their health is fair or poor
41% of Mecca adults say their health is fair or poor. Mecca beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 20% of Mecca adults report frequent physical distress.
5%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Mecca | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 24% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 36% | 33% |
32 measures vs. California
1 better10 too close to call21 worse
| What stands out | Mecca | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 32.2% | 10.6% |
John F Kennedy Memorial Hospital
13.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
3rd
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC−
Mecca’s schools rank behind 76% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Coachella Valley Unified school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
24%of CA districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saul Martinez ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 961 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade B+
The median rent in Mecca is lower than in most of California or the rest of the country
Homes are within reach (about $336K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 20 miles. Home values rose 35% in five years, to about $336K, against 13% across California.
Mecca’s median rent is $916 a month. The typical Mecca home is worth about $336,000, up 0.8% in a year, 56% below the California typical home. 54% of households own their home in Mecca.
$336KZillow home value
| Mecca | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $916 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 54% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Mecca$336K
California$762K
+0.8%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Mecca faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by earthquakes
90risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most working residents commute out of Mecca
Mecca has 780 jobs for its 2,782 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 1,062 in 2013 to 780.
Most working residents leave Mecca for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Mecca fell to 780 in 2023, 282 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Indio (13%), Coachella (8%) and Palm Desert (6%).
6%work in town
| Mecca | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Mecca6%
Indio13%
Coachella8%
Palm Desert6%
La Quinta4%
20 mi
median commute distance
780
jobs based in Mecca
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 74% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Mecca, expect mild winters and hot summers
The Mecca Fire Stn weather station records that about 196 days a year reach 90°, more than in 100% of U.S. towns. January nights average 42.9°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 107.6°.
Mecca has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. The January low in Mecca is 43°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
108°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter44–72°
Spring59–88°
Summer77–106°
Fall61–91°
+2.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
108°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC−
Mecca has set aside 0.2% of its land for conservation
1.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
#665for trails in CA
| Mecca | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
0.2%
conserved · 8 of 4,419 acres
1.0 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mecca Sports Complex | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mecca
18pages on Mecca
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Mecca; the nearest are
College of the DesertCommunity college · Public · Palm Desert21.5 mi$1,326 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-San MarcosUniversity or college · Public · San Marcos70.3 mi$8,082 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Mecca residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Mecca
Census-designated place in California, United States
Mecca is an unincorporated community located in Riverside County, California, United States. The desert community lies on the north shore of the Salton Sea in the Eastern Coachella Valley and is surrounded by agricultural land. As of the 2020 census, Mecca had a population of 8,219.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- -187 ft
- ZIP code
- 92254
Questions about Mecca
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mecca, CA a good place to live?
Mecca grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #602 of 841 in California. It grades D for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Mecca, CA expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.