PalaCA
A town of 914, settled in 1875.
Is Pala a good place to live?
7.1% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Pala, below both the California town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Pala has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
914 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Pala: who provides what
Pala is unincorporated, so San Diego 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Pala.
The FEMA risk score in Pala is higher than in most of California or the rest of the country
Households in Pala have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. FEMA puts three fifths of the town’s expected hazard losses down to wildfires, and 32% to inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The schools Pala’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to the Bonsall Unified school district. Its one school is below. Enrollment at Pala’s public school: 71 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vivian Banks CharterLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 71 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A job hub: Pala has 1.2 jobs for every working resident and draws in 406 commuters
The top destinations are San Diego (14%), Escondido (5%) and Oceanside (5%). Only 4% of working residents stay in Pala for work; the rest commute out. The town’s average trip to work stands at 23 minutes, where California’s towns sit at 28 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. In Pala, the median household income is $106,000.
| Pala | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $106,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.9% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical home in Pala: about $869K
Typical home values rose 5.3% in the year to September 2026. The going rate for rent for Pala comes to $1,263 a month. In Pala, 62% of households live in a home they own.
| Pala | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,263 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
How healthy Pala is
For adults 18 to 64 in Pala, the share who have no health insurance is 10%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Pala is ahead of California on 2 and behind on 11. Two figures for adults here: 20% report frequent mental distress, 71% had a checkup this year.
| Pala | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Pala | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.5% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 30.6% | 35.4% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 20.1% | 14.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0% of Pala is conserved land
3.7 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Pala’s trail network density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wilderness Gardens County Preserve | — | 1 |
| 2. Pala Mission Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Legoland California and 30 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pala. Close and well known come first.
22 mi Theme parkLegoland California
19 mi Zoo & aquariumSan Diego Zoo Safari Park
34 mi BeachBlack's Beach
38 mi MountainSan Jacinto Peak
39 mi State parkAnza-Borrego Desert State Park
16 mi National forestCleveland National ForestPhoto credits
Legoland California: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdigger/, CC BY 2.0 · San Diego Zoo Safari Park: Flickr user: Olivier Bruchez https://www.flickr.com/photos/bruchez/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Black's Beach: Levi Clancy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · San Jacinto Peak: Wattewyl, CC BY 3.0 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: No machine-readable author provided. Miskatonic assumed (based on copyright clai, CC BY 2.5 · Cleveland National Forest: Michael Romanov, Public domain
Everything we know about Pala
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pala
About 6 of every 100 Pala residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Pala
Census-designated place in California, United States
Pala is a small, mostly Native American community and census-designated place located within the Pala Indian Reservation in San Diego County, California. As of the 2020 census, Pala had a population of 1,490. For centuries it was a traditional gathering place of Native peoples. The Mission San Antonio de Pala or Pala Mission was established in Pala by early 19th century as an asistencia or sub-mission.[1] The community is north of Escondido in the San Diego-Carlsbad metro area. In the National Geographic Names database, it is officially catalogued as feature number 1661174. The community is in ZIP Code 92059, and inside area code 760. The community's name may be derived from the Native Amer…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 397 ft
- ZIP code
- 92059
Questions about Pala
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pala, CA a good place to live?
Pala has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.