Salton city airpark road, 2006
Salton City’s story
Salton City in pictures
Census counts: 978 in 2000, 5,155 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1940 on.
Explore the history →Salton CityCA
Home to 5,988 people, this town lies in California.
Population
5,988
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$201K
Census ACS
Household income
$48K
median
Median age
35.8
years
Jobs based here
499
A commuter town
TownGrade
D−
#836 of 841 in CA
Is Salton City a good place to live?
The data are hard on it. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $48K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. Salton City’s overall D− puts it 836th of 841 in California. That leaves it behind almost every U.S. town. It also trails on cost of living: the typical home is worth about $201K, 3.5 years of the El Centro metro’s $58K median household income. The town’s July high is 108°F, against 89°F in California’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
A growing town
Salton City has grown 37% from 2010 to 2020
3,763 counted in 2010 and 5,155 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Salton City grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Salton City is from typical.
Jobs & incomeAmong the weakest of the towns comparedD−Open →Hazard riskEarthquakes top the listDOpen →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnC−Open →HealthJohn F Kennedy Memorial Hospital 32.2 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsSchools trail most of those comparedCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.5 of 20; 1.1% of households have no car; 3.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors4 miles of trails; 6% conserved landBOpen →HistoryGraded on historic places and the town’s ageDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 23 attractions →Salton Sea and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Salton City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi LakeSalton Sea
Big draw27 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
9 mi LakeLake Cahuilla
22 mi MountainNiland Geyser
28 mi LandmarkSalvation Mountain
26 mi State parkAnza-Borrego Desert State ParkSources: 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 · Lake Cahuilla: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Niland Geyser: California Department of Transportation, Public domain · Salvation Mountain: Joe Decruyenaere, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: No machine-readable author provided. Miskatonic assumed (based on copyright clai, CC BY 2.5
Getting set up
Moving to Salton City: who provides what
Salton City is unincorporated, so Imperial County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerImperial Irrigation District18.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterDd Mobile Home Park5 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesImperial CountyImperial County provides services here
SchoolsBrawley Union High School DistrictCoachella Valley Unified School District2 districts serve Salton City; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereImperial County Registrar of VotersImperial County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes92274, 9227592274 73% · 92275 27%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 Salton City.
Salton City has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it is a long drive from an emergency room and has household incomes well below the California norm.
HealthC−
Health in Salton City trails 82% of U.S. towns
The nearest emergency room, John F Kennedy Memorial Hospital, is 32.2 miles away in a straight line. Against the 4,952 U.S. towns with household incomes like Salton City’s, it is healthier than 50%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
For adults in Salton City, the share who sleep under 7 hours is 41%. The town does better than the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 19. Two figures for adults here: 33% worry about having enough food, 68% had a checkup this year.
18%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Salton City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 16% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 72% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 9% | 8.1% |
32 measures vs. California
1 better12 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Salton City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 23.6% | 10.6% |
John F Kennedy Memorial Hospital
32.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
13th
percentile among CA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC
Salton City’s public schools trail 74% of California districts
Public schools: the Coachella Valley Unified school district. The largest public high school is West Shores High, with 503 students. Its two schools are below.
26%of CA districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea View ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 682 | D− |
| West Shores HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 503 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Salton City has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from earthquakes
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 85% of U.S. communities.
85risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Salton City has 0.4 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Jobs based here fell from 796 in 2013 to 499.
In Salton City, the mean commuting time is 33 minutes. Jobs based locally fell to 499 in 2023, 297 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are San Diego (9%), Los Angeles (5%) and Oasis (4%). For half of commuters, work is under 70 miles away.
8%work in town
| Salton City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Salton City8%
San Diego9%
Los Angeles5%
Oasis4%
Coachella4%
70 mi
median commute distance
499
jobs based in Salton City
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, a typical July afternoon in Salton City is hotter
The Mecca Fire Stn weather station, 20 miles away, records that about 196 days a year reach 90°, more than in 100% of U.S. towns. January nights average 44.4°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 107.7°.
The seasons in Salton City: warm winters, scorching summers, with very little rain. Its January low stands at 44°F. Snowfall is close to zero.
108°summer high
| Salton City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 108°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°
+2.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
108°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsB
Open space protected for good: 5.8% of Salton City
4.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Salton City’s trail network density comes in at 0.2 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves here: one, of 9 acres.
#643for trails in CA
| Salton City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.8% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
5.8%
conserved · 788 of 13,666 acres
4.4 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Salton City Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade C−
Homes in Salton City sell for about $308K
The median property tax bill is $2,123, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Salton City’s median rent is $1,372 a month. The share of households in Salton City who own their home: 88%.
$308Kmedian sale price
| Salton City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,372 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
3
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Salton City
17pages on Salton City
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Salton City; the nearest are
College of the DesertCommunity college · Public · Palm Desert38.7 mi$1,326 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-San MarcosUniversity or college · Public · San Marcos70.2 mi$8,082 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Salton City residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
92% of working residents leave Salton City for work
Where Salton City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
499jobs based in Salton City
8%of working residents work in town
70 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Salton City
Place in California, United States
Salton City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Imperial County, California. It is the largest Imperial County development on the Salton Sea coast. It is part of the El Centro, California Metropolitan Statistical Area. The 2020 census reported a population of 5,155, up from 3,763 at the 2010 census and 978 in 2000. Although planned and developed as a large resort community with an extensive road, water, sewer and power grid capable of supporting 40,000 residents on 12,000 residential lots, demand for property in Salton City fell drastically short of the planners' expectations. According to the 2010 census, 81% of the surveyed lots in Salton City remain undeveloped, and 38% of the habitabl…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 21 sq mi
- Elevation
- -125 ft
- ZIP code
- 92275
Questions about Salton City
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Salton City, CA a good place to live?
Salton City grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #836 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Salton City, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $201,000, 74% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.