Cahuilla Mountain and Toro Peak, 2025
Sage’s story
135 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2025 and 2 maps from 1942 on.
- 1891Sage is settled
SageCA
A town of 3,781, settled in 1891.
Population
3,781
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$569K
Census ACS
Household income
$120K
median
Median age
46.5
years
Jobs based here
209
A commuter town
TownGrade
D
#583 of 841 in CA
Is Sage a good place to live?
Sage earns a D, ranked 583rd of 841 in California. What it does well: it has 44 miles of trail. Sage’s average trip to work is 40 minutes, above both the California town median (28 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). No town in California scores lower than Sage on hazard risk. The typical home is worth about $569K, 6.3 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income.
What makes Sage stand out
Where Sage beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Sage for work
Where Sage’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
209jobs based in Sage
1%of working residents work in town
33 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Sage grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Sage is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 100% of U.S. communities; wildfire tops the listD−Open →Cost of livingC−Open →SchoolsBehind 65% of California districts on tests and graduationC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.1 of 20; 0.7% of households have no car; 2.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →HealthHemet Global Medical Center 11 miles awayBOpen →Jobs & income209 jobs based hereB−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.
ClimateMild winters, 96° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 46.5; 21% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Sage: who provides what
Sage is unincorporated, so Riverside County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEastern Municipal WD water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers43% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
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 codes92544, 92543, 92592, 9253692544 75% · 92543 16% · 92592 7% · 92536 2%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 Sage.
Sage has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, sends most of its workers to Temecula and beyond and owes part of its health edge to its incomes.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Sage stands out in California and nationally: the FEMA risk score there is higher
Sage’s FEMA risk score is 100 of 100.
100risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
WildfireInland floodingEarthquakes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Most working residents commute out of Sage
Sage has 209 jobs for its 1,211 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 39.9 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Most working residents leave Sage for work: only 1% work in town. The median household income in Sage is $120,000. The top destinations are Temecula (10%), Hemet (9%) and San Diego (5%).
1%work in town
| Sage | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $120,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Sage1%
Temecula10%
Hemet9%
San Diego5%
Los Angeles4%
33 mi
median commute distance
209
jobs based in Sage
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
#489for trails in CA
11.9%
conserved · 5,197 of 43,514 acres
44 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Bernardino National Forest | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Sage
The San Jacinto weather station, 14 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 315 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. The San Jacinto weather station, 14 miles away, records that about 120 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Sage has warm winters and hot summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 95°, January nights drop to 40° and snow is almost unheard of.
96°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–64°
Spring45–73°
Summer59–93°
Fall52–81°
Dec 10
typical first frost
Jan 31
typical last frost
+2.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
96°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Sage is healthier than 55% of U.S. towns
Against the 5,760 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sage’s, it is less healthy than 82%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Sage beats the California average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 75% of adults had a checkup this year in Sage.
55%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Sage | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 29% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
32 measures vs. California
9 better14 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Sage | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.5% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.8% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.9% | 6.4% |
Hemet Global Medical Center
11 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
44th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sage
17pages on Sage
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sage
About 3 of every 100 Sage residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Sage
Unincorporated community in California, United States
Sage is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Riverside County, California, United States. It has a population of 3,370 according to the 2020 census. Its elevation is 2,313 feet (705 m).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Sage’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Sage.
How the neighbors grade
Sage reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Sage with a neighbor →
Questions about Sage
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sage, CA a good place to live?
Sage grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #583 of 841 in California. It grades B for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Sage, 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 C−.