Martinez Historical District · National Register of Historic Places
Oasis’s story
Oasis in pictures
The archive holds 2 maps from 1956 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →OasisCA
A town of 4,051.
Martinez Historical District · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
4,051
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$35K
Census ACS
Household income
$39K
median
Median age
26.4
years
Jobs based here
665
A commuter town
TownGrade
D−
#746 of 841 in CA
Is Oasis a good place to live?
Oasis grades D− overall, ranked 746th of 841 in California, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. The median household income is $39K, and 35% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: a typical home costs about $35K, less than a year of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income. 35% of residents live below the poverty line in Oasis, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Martinez Historical District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
A shrinking town
Oasis has shrunk 35% from 2010 to 2020
6,890 counted in 2010 and 4,468 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Oasis grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Oasis is from typical.
HealthNear the bottom of U.S. towns on CDC estimates; John F Kennedy Memorial Hospital 13.8 miles awayD−Open →Jobs & incomeD−Open →Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listDOpen →SchoolsC−Open →Cost of livingBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.2 of 20; 1.7% of households have no car; 2.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
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.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Oasis: who provides what
Oasis 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
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
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 code9227492274 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 Oasis.
Oasis has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has poverty well above the California rate and has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
HealthD−
A larger share of adults say their health is fair or poor in Oasis than in most of California or the rest of the country
54% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Oasis. No town among the 847 in California we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Oasis. 25% of adults report frequent mental distress in Oasis.
1%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Oasis | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 54% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 11% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 29% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 12% | 12% |
32 measures vs. California
2 better2 too close to call28 worse
| What stands out | Oasis | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3% | 6.4% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.5% | 15.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 28.4% | 7.3% |
John F Kennedy Memorial Hospital
13.8 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC−
Oasis’ schools rank behind 76% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Coachella Valley Unified school district. Its one school is below.
24%of CA districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oasis ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 488 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Earthquakes leads a very high hazard risk in Oasis
87risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Oasis stands out in California and nationally: the median household income there is lower
Jobs based here fell from 1,132 in 2013 to 665.
Among 846 California towns, just 10 have a lower median household income than Oasis. Jobs based in Oasis fell to 665 in 2023, 467 fewer than in 2013. Most working residents leave Oasis for work: only 5% work in town.
5%work in town
| Oasis | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $39,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Oasis5%
Indio10%
Coachella8%
Palm Desert6%
Riverside4%
29 mi
median commute distance
665
jobs based in Oasis
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
#494for trails in CA
| Oasis | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
0.1%
conserved · 15 of 12,514 acres
12 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Oasis has 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 44°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 107°.
Oasis has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. The July high in Oasis is 107°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
107°summer high
| Oasis | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 107°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 44°F | 40°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter45–72°
Spring59–88°
Summer77–106°
Fall62–91°
+2.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
107°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Nearby attractions
All 26 attractions →Salton Sea and 17 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Oasis. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi LakeSalton Sea
Big draw14 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
21 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena
24 mi State parkAnza-Borrego Desert State Park
36 mi MountainNiland Geyser
25 mi LakeLake CahuillaSources: 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 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: No machine-readable author provided. Miskatonic assumed (based on copyright clai, CC BY 2.5 · Niland Geyser: California Department of Transportation, Public domain · Lake Cahuilla: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Oasis
17pages on Oasis
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Oasis; the nearest are
College of the DesertCommunity college · Public · Palm Desert20.7 mi$1,326 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-San MarcosUniversity or college · Public · San Marcos65.6 mi$8,082 in-state tuition
About 7 of every 100 Oasis residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Oasis for work
Where Oasis’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
665jobs based in Oasis
5%of working residents work in town
29 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Oasis
Census-designated place in California, United States
Oasis is a census-designated place in the California county of Riverside. Oasis sits at an elevation of 141 feet (43 m) below sea level. The 2020 United States census reported Oasis's population was 4,468, down from 6,890 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 20 sq mi
- Elevation
- -141 ft
Questions about Oasis
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Oasis, CA a good place to live?
Oasis grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #746 of 841 in California. It grades D− for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Oasis, CA expensive?
That is 0.4 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 B.