3 mar morongo, 2006
Morongo Valley’s story
79 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,137 in 1980, 3,514 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1955 on.
- 1947Morongo Valley is settled
Morongo ValleyCA
A town of 4,209, settled in 1947.
Photo: Destiny Diaz · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
4,209
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$324K
+1.4% in a year
Household income
$52K
median
Median age
44.1
years
Jobs based here
306
A commuter town
TownGrade
D−
#814 of 841 in CA
Is Morongo Valley a good place to live?
Morongo Valley grades D− overall, 814th among California's 841 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $52K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 84% of the country. Morongo Valley’s July high is 99°F, against 89°F in California’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Only 87 of California’s 1,058 towns score higher on cost of living. The biggest place to walk is Sand to Snow National Monument, 7,370 acres with 7.2 miles of trail.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Morongo Valley for work
Where Morongo Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
306jobs based in Morongo Valley
4%of working residents work in town
55 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Morongo Valley grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Morongo Valley is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD−Open →Jobs & incomeDOpen →HealthDesert Regional Medical Center 16.2 miles awayC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.6 of 20; 5% of households have no car; 0.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →SchoolsCOpen →Cost of livingC+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 market61 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 44.1; 17% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 42 attractions →Joshua Tree National Park and 21 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Morongo Valley. Close and well known come first.
Big draw6 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
15 mi MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain
24 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena
19 mi MountainSan Jacinto Peak
26 mi LakeBig Bear Lake19 mi LandmarkForest Lawn CemeterySources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Joshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · San Gorgonio Mountain: Doc Searls, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Acrisure Arena: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · San Jacinto Peak: Wattewyl, CC BY 3.0 · Big Bear Lake: H.G. Judd, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Morongo Valley: who provides what
Morongo Valley is unincorporated, so San Bernardino County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCsa 70-F Morongo water system18 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers81% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSan Bernardino CountySan Bernardino 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 hereSan Bernardino Registrar of VotersSan Bernardino County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP code9225692256 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 Morongo Valley.
Morongo Valley has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the California rate.
OutdoorsC+
2.3% of Morongo Valley is conserved land
65 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The trail density in Morongo Valley is 2.6 miles per square mile.
#111for trails in CA
| Morongo Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
2.3%
conserved · 375 of 16,067 acres
65 mi
of trails · 2.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sand to Snow National Monument | 7.2 mi | 7,370 |
| 2. Big Morongo Canyon Preserve | 3.4 mi | 170 |
| 3. San Gorgonio Wilderness | 1.5 mi | 4,098 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsC
Public schools in Morongo Valley fall behind 71% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Morongo Unified school district. Its one school is below.
29%of CA districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morongo Valley ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 170 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade C+
Morongo Valley’s typical home value is about $324K
The typical value, about $324K, is 9% below its July 2022 peak. The median property tax bill is $1,874, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Morongo Valley home is worth about $324,000, up 1.4% in a year, 57% below the California typical home. Morongo Valley’s median rent is $1,354 a month.
$324KZillow home value
| Morongo Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,354 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Morongo Valley$324K
California$762K
Market temperature
61
days on market
97.2%
sale-to-list price
+1.4%
value change, 1 year
7
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Very high risk in Morongo Valley, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 97% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Morongo Valley since 1980.
97risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesWildfire
1
paid flood claims since 1980
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC−
More of Morongo Valley’s adults have high blood pressure than in the typical California or U.S. town
Against the 6,445 U.S. towns with household incomes like Morongo Valley’s, it is less healthy than 64%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
42% of Morongo Valley adults have high blood pressure. Morongo Valley beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 15% of Morongo Valley adults have diabetes.
16%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Morongo Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 31% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 22% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
32 measures vs. California
1 better12 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Morongo Valley | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.4% | 71.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.3% | 5.1% |
Desert Regional Medical Center
16.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: primary care
11th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most working residents commute out of Morongo Valley
Morongo Valley has 306 jobs for its 1,815 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 37.2 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Most working residents leave Morongo Valley for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Morongo Valley has added 65 jobs, to 306 in 2023. The top destinations are Palm Springs (8%), Los Angeles (5%) and Palm Desert (4%).
4%work in town
| Morongo Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.2% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Morongo Valley4%
Palm Springs8%
Los Angeles5%
Palm Desert4%
Yucca Valley4%
55 mi
median commute distance
306
jobs based in Morongo Valley
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 20% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Morongo Valley has mild winters and hot summers
The Yucca Valley weather station, 11 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 255 days, longer than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 98.5°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.8°.
Morongo Valley has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
2″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–62°
Spring49–76°
Summer66–97°
Fall54–81°
Dec 15
typical first frost
Feb 25
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Morongo Valley
18pages on Morongo Valley
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Morongo Valley; the nearest are
Copper Mountain Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Joshua Tree20.5 mi$1,390 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-San BernardinoUniversity or college · Public · San Bernardino44.2 mi$8,093 in-state tuition
About 8 of every 100 Morongo Valley residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
About Morongo Valley
Census-designated place in California, United States
Morongo Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) on State Route 62 in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 3,514 at the 2020 census, down from 3,552 at the 2010 census. The town is bordered by Yucca Valley, California.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 25 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,582 ft
- ZIP code
- 92256
- Area code
- 760
Questions about Morongo Valley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Morongo Valley, CA a good place to live?
Morongo Valley grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #814 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Morongo Valley, CA expensive?
That is 3.6 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+.
What is Morongo Valley, CA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Gene Parsons and Leah Turner.