Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0On CDC estimates, Palm Desert is healthier than 60% of U.S. towns
Palm Desert differs from California on 25 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 15 better, 10 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Palm Desert. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Palm Desert
Cancer, arthritis and heart disease run high in Palm Desert
1 in 8 adults have had cancer (12.4%), about twice the California rate. 1 in 3 adults have arthritis (34.6%), vs 20.8% across California. Heart disease is also above the state: 8.9%, vs 5.6% across California. In all, Palm Desert runs above California on eight of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 38% of residents are 65 or older (California 16%), and cancer, arthritis and heart disease are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
More high blood pressure in Palm Desert, and more people treating it
41.4% of adults have high blood pressure (California 30.5%), but 79.5% of them take medicine for it, vs 71.3% statewide. Checkups ↓
Palm Desert keeps up with checkups
It beats California on four of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (79% vs 71.9%) and dentist visits (69.1% vs 62.8%). Checkups ↓
Written from the CDC, Medicare and HRSA data on this page. CDC PLACES 2025 release: modeled estimates for adults, not counts; “higher” and “lower” mean the California figure falls outside Palm Desert’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
What’s behind Palm Desert’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Palm Desert is healthier than 60% of U.S. towns, #442 of 847 in California. Smoking holds the grade up (fewer adults who smoke than 90% of U.S. towns); diabetes pulls it down (better than 30%).
Health estimates follow income closely across the country: towns with higher household incomes usually score higher (a correlation of 0.77 across 21,157 graded towns). Palm Desert’s median household income is $77,513; among the 10,807 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($58K–$97K), it’s healthier than 67%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Palm Desert adults…
Palm Desert runs above CA on 9 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.
Palm Desert is an older town: 38% of residents are 65 or older, vs 16% across California. Heart disease, COPD and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Palm Desert as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Palm Desert adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks California.
Care in and near Palm Desert
2 community health centers in Palm Desert, plus the nearest just outside it.
Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Palm Desert; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Everyday habits, side by side with California
Share of adults, with the California figure marked.
55 miles of trails across 15 parks and preserves
How Palm Desert adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Palm Desert does better than California.
1 in 3 Palm Desert adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.
Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
11% of Palm Desert adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 15.6% across California.
Palm Desert and the towns around it
Palm Desert’s Health Grade ranks 3rd of 5 graded towns around it.
Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Desert | B | 33.5% | 13.4% | 9.5% | CDC place |
| Indian Wells | B+ | 30.3% | 14.9% | 7.7% | CDC place |
| Rancho Mirage | B | 31.9% | 15.4% | 9.1% | CDC place |
| Thousand Palms | C− | 39.8% | 16.3% | 13.2% | CDC place |
| Bermuda Dunes | B | 35.6% | 11.2% | 10.8% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Palm Desert adults live with a disability (California 30.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Palm Desert
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Palm Desert is better than California on 15 and worse on 10; on the rest, the California figure falls inside Palm Desert’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Palm Desert | CA | U.S. | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 21.5%19.5–23.8 | 22.1% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 15%13.5–16.6 | 13.4% | 13% | Worse |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 14.3%12.9–15.9 | 16.4% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 33.5%29.7–37.6 | 27.8% | 32.9% | Worse |
| Diabetes | 13.4%11.9–15 | 11.7% | 12% | Worse |
| High blood pressure | 41.4%38.5–44.5 | 30.5% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 43.6%40.5–46.8 | 35.4% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 34.6%31.9–37.4 | 20.8% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 9.6%8.6–10.8 | 9.3% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 12.4%11.4–13.6 | 6.4% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 8.9%8.1–9.8 | 5.6% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 7.2%6.5–8.1 | 5.1% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 4.4%4–4.7 | 3.1% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 9.2%7.4–11.2 | 10.6% | 12.3% | About the same |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 9.5%8.3–10.8 | 10.9% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 24.1%21.4–27.1 | 24.6% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 11.6%10–13.5 | 15.3% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 33.4%29.6–37.4 | 35.1% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 7.9%6.9–9 | 10.6% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 79%76.5–81.3 | 71.9% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 69.1%66.2–71.9 | 62.8% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 90.5%89.3–91.5 | 85.4% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 79.5%77–81.9 | 71.3% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 69.7%65.7–73.4 | 57.5% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 80.4%74.9–85.2 | 75.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 21.7%19.3–24.4 | 20.1% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 31.8%28.5–35.3 | 37.3% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 22%19.5–24.7 | 28.6% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 12.2%10.7–13.8 | 17.9% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 10.3%9.1–11.6 | 14.9% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 5.5%4.8–6.3 | 7.3% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 6.8%6–7.6 | 9.3% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 11%9.6–12.5 | 15.6% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 36%33–39.2 | 30.4% | 30.1% | Higher |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 18.7%16.8–20.7 | 13.8% | 13.6% | Higher |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 12.7%11.5–14.1 | 14.6% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 9.4%8.5–10.4 | 5.9% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 5.4%4.9–5.9 | 5.6% | 5.4% | About the same |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 8.7%7.8–9.6 | 8.1% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 4.1%3.7–4.5 | 3.9% | 3.8% | About the same |
Each figure is the share of adults 18+ unless the label says otherwise; small numbers after it are CDC’s likely range (95% interval). “About the same” means the California figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Palm Desert
Is Palm Desert a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Palm Desert is healthier than 60% of U.S. towns: ≈ B for health, #442 of 847 in California. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 67%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Palm Desert?
CDC estimates 33.5% of adults have obesity, likely between 29.7% and 37.6%, against 27.8% across California and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Palm Desert?
Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, 4.3 miles in a straight line from Palm Desert’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Palm Desert have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 7.9% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 6.9–9%), against 10.6% across California.
How accurate are these numbers?
They’re modeled estimates: CDC applies national survey answers to each area’s age, sex, race and education mix, so they describe who lives in Palm Desert more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Palm Desert.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The California figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. The Health Grade is our own summary of CDC’s estimates, not an official rating. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.