Running SpringsCA
Home to 4,917 people, the town was settled in 1927.
Is Running Springs a good place to live?
Several subjects drag its grade down. Its weakest is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $337K, 3.8 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income. It lags on hazard risk as well (D−): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of U.S. communities, with wildfire at the top. Where it does best is walkability (A) — it is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. The overall grade comes out at C−, 529th of 841 in California. Nationally, it does better than 17% of U.S. towns. San Bernardino National Forest, at 2,684 acres with 5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Running Springs’ mean commuting time is 40 minutes, where California’s towns sit at 28 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenStreetMap.
What makes Running Springs stand out
Where Running Springs beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
95% of working residents leave Running Springs for work
Where Running Springs’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Running Springs grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Running Springs is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 85% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Joshua Tree National Park and 38 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Running Springs. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
8 mi LakeBig Bear Lake
18 mi MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain
32 mi MountainMount San Antonio
28 mi Stadium & arenaToyota Arena
37 mi MountainSan Jacinto PeakPhoto credits
Joshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Big Bear Lake: H.G. Judd, CC BY-SA 3.0 · San Gorgonio Mountain: Doc Searls, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mount San Antonio: The original uploader was Tillman at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Toyota Arena: jondoeforty1, CC BY 2.0 · San Jacinto Peak: Wattewyl, CC BY 3.0
Moving to Running Springs: who provides what
Running Springs is unincorporated, so San Bernardino 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 Running Springs.
Running Springs keeps more of its land conserved than most of California, has home values still below their peak and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of California.
Running Springs faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by wildfire
FEMA puts 40% of Running Springs’s expected hazard losses down to wildfires, and 27% to earthquakes. Federal aid has come to Running Springs households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2023.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Running Springs’ grade for cost of living is a D
The typical value, about $337K, is 12% below its July 2022 peak. 71.9% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 55.3% across California.
The typical home value in Running Springs is about $337,000, down 4.1% in a year, 56% below the California typical home. The rent at the middle of the market for Running Springs comes to $1,804 a month. The share of households in Running Springs who are owner-occupiers: 74%.
| Running Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,804 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Running Springs keeps nearly a third of its land conserved
Its 823 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 93% of California towns.
The concentration of trails in Running Springs is 1.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Bernardino National Forest | 5 mi | 2,684 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
For most of its workers, the job is outside Running Springs
Running Springs has 382 jobs for its 2,172 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 40.3 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
The median commute is under 51 miles. Since 2013, Running Springs has lost 54 jobs, to 382 in 2023. Commuting out is the norm here: 5% of working residents work locally. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in the town.
| Running Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 40 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.8% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $82,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A typical January night in Running Springs is 30°F, against 41°F in California’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns
January nights average 29.7°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 89% of California places with climate records; July afternoons average 80.5°.
For Running Springs, the midsummer high is 81°F. This California town brings mild winters and pleasant summers.
| Running Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 81°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 30°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer young adults than California overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (24% statewide). 26% of Running Springs residents are under 18. College graduates make up 31% of adults 25 and older, against 37% across California.
| Running Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 37.9 years | 39.1 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Running Springs | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.8% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.7% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.5% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.8% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.4% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.3% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.2% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.4% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.9% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,900, single groups can be off by several points
Residents of Running Springs are healthier than three in five U.S. towns
Among adults in Running Springs, 32% have obesity. This California town does better than the California average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 8. In Running Springs, 21% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 36% have high blood pressure.
| Running Springs | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 72% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 31% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 29% | 35% |
| What stands out | Running Springs | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.1% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.4% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.1% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Running Springs
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Running Springs
About 7 of every 100 Running Springs residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
About Running Springs
Census-designated place in California, United States
Running Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 5,268 at the 2020 census, up from 4,862 at the 2010 census. Running Springs is situated 17 miles (27 km) west of the city of Big Bear Lake. Running Springs is home to the 3,400-acre (1,400 ha) National Children's Forest, which offers interpretive programs, educational tours and more. Snow Valley Mountain Resort was established here in the 1920s and was the first ski resort in the San Bernardino Mountains.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 6,109 ft
- ZIP code
- 92382
- Area code
- 909
Questions about Running Springs
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Running Springs, CA a good place to live?
Running Springs grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #529 of 841 in California. It grades B for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Running Springs, CA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.