Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 25,939, settled in 1920.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Overall it grades C−, 457th among California's 841 graded towns. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $63K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. Twentynine Palms’ July high is 103°F, above both the California town median (89°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Only 71 of California’s 1,058 towns score higher on cost of living. Barker Dam and Cow Camp is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Twentynine Palms beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
25,048 counted in 2010 and 28,065 in 2020; an estimated 25,939 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 7.6%, after 12% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Twentynine Palms is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,667 in 1970, 28,065 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1955 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Twentynine Palms. Close and well known come first.
Big draw2 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
30 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena32 mi LandmarkForest Lawn Cemetery
36 mi Zoo & aquariumLiving Desert Zoo and Gardens
33 mi MuseumPalm Springs Air Museum
39 mi MuseumGeneral George S. Patton Memorial MuseumJoshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Acrisure Arena: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Living Desert Zoo and Gardens: Dsyrengelas at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Palm Springs Air Museum: Ted Rufus Ross, CC BY 2.5 · General George S. Patton Memorial Museum: Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Twentynine Palms, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Twentynine Palms.
Twentynine Palms has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
At 2.7 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household income, the typical home (about $245K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. The typical value, about $245K, is 17% below its August 2022 peak.
The typical Twentynine Palms home is worth about $245,000, down 1.1% in a year, 68% below the California typical home. 38% of Twentynine Palms households own their home.
| Twentynine Palms | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 38% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,352 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Morongo Unified school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Twentynine Palms High, with 719 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twentynine Palms ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 579 | D |
| Twentynine Palms HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 719 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
139 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The trail density in Twentynine Palms is 2.4 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Joshua Tree National Park, at 121 acres.
| Twentynine Palms | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.4 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Joshua Tree National Park | 0.5 mi | 121 |
| 2. Luckie Park | 0.2 mi | 27 |
| 3. Knott's Sky Park | 0.2 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Since 2000, 58 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Twentynine Palms.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 7,579 working residents takes 15.9 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Most working residents leave Twentynine Palms for work: only 16% work in town. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Twentynine Palms. Since 2013, Twentynine Palms has added 401 jobs, to 2,994 in 2023.
| Twentynine Palms | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Joshua Tree weather station, 12 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 273 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. The Joshua Tree weather station, 12 miles away, records that about 130 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Twentynine Palms has mild winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. Twentynine Palms’ January low is 39°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,528 U.S. towns with household incomes like Twentynine Palms’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Twentynine Palms beats the California average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. Among 847 California towns, just 10 have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Twentynine Palms.
| Twentynine Palms | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 64% | 72% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Twentynine Palms | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.3% | 11.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4% | 6.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.2% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Twentynine Palms's reported crime rate is below California's. 108 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Twentynine Palms | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Twentynine Palms
About 7 of every 100 Twentynine Palms residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
Where Twentynine Palms’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 notable people were born in Twentynine Palms.
City in California, United States
Twentynine Palms (also known as 29 Palms) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, Twentynine Palms had a population of 28,065. It serves as one of the entry points to Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave Desert region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Twentynine Palms grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #457 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.7 years of the area's median household income ($89,662 across the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including DeeDee Trotter and Doug Cockle.
