San-Gorgonio-pass-wind-farm IMG 6704 060421 143600, 2006
Whitewater’s story
100 years in pictures
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 5 maps from 1940 on.
- 1926Whitewater is settled
WhitewaterCA
A town of 1,181, settled in 1926.
Population
1,181
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$299K
Census ACS
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
41.0
years
Jobs based here
49
A commuter town
Is Whitewater a good place to live?
The best of Whitewater’s subject grades is a B for the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Whitewater’s July high is 101°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Only 12 of California’s 1,063 towns score lower on walkability. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Whitewater’s trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile, against 1.0 in California’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Sand to Snow National Monument, at 1,044 acres with 7.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Whitewater has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Small town
1,181 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Palm SpringsWhitewater
How Whitewater grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Whitewater is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 100% of U.S. communities; earthquakes tops the listD−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.3 of 20; 1.1% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →HealthDesert Regional Medical Center 10.5 miles awayDOpen →Jobs & income$78K median household income; 49 jobs based hereC−Open →SchoolsBehind 79% of California districts on tests and graduationC−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $299K, 3.3 years of the Riverside metro’s $90K median household incomeB−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.
ClimateCold winters, 102° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.0; 8% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 51 attractions →Joshua Tree National Park and 30 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Whitewater. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi National ParkJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors a year
8 mi MountainSan Jacinto Peak
14 mi MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain
23 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Arena
27 mi LakeBig Bear Lake16 mi LandmarkForest Lawn CemeterySources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Joshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · San Jacinto Peak: Wattewyl, CC BY 3.0 · San Gorgonio Mountain: Doc Searls, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Acrisure Arena: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Big Bear Lake: H.G. Judd, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Whitewater: who provides what
Whitewater is unincorporated, so Riverside County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMission Springs WD water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers60% 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 code9228292282 100%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 Whitewater.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
The FEMA risk score in Whitewater is higher than in the typical California or U.S. town
The FEMA risk score in Whitewater is 100 of 100.
100risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesWildfireInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthD
Whitewater stands out in California and nationally, with more of its adults who have obesity
43% of adults have obesity in Whitewater. Whitewater beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 23. 15% of adults have diabetes in Whitewater.
9%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Whitewater | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
0 better9 too close to call23 worse
| What stands out | Whitewater | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.8% | 7.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.2% | 10.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 28.5% | 17.9% |
Desert Regional Medical Center
10.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Whitewater’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Whitewater for work: only 3% work in town. 23% of Whitewater residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Palm Springs (9%), Cathedral City (6%) and Beaumont (5%).
3%work in town
| Whitewater | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Whitewater3%
Palm Springs9%
Cathedral City6%
Beaumont5%
Los Angeles5%
23 mi
median commute distance
49
jobs based in Whitewater
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 4% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
15.8%conserved
15.8%
conserved · 995 of 6,296 acres
23 mi
of trails · 2.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sand to Snow National Monument | 7.4 mi | 1,044 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Whitewater has four seasons and hot summers
Whitewater has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. Whitewater’s January low is 41°F.
102°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter41–66°
Spring51–79°
Summer66–100°
Fall55–85°
Dec 15
typical first frost
Feb 25
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
102°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B−
A home in Whitewater sells for about $550K at the median
$550Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in April
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Whitewater
17pages on Whitewater
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Whitewater; the nearest are
Mt San Jacinto Community College DistrictCommunity college · Public · San Jacinto18.6 mi$1,448 in-state tuitionUniversity of California-RiversideUniversity or college · Public · Riverside36.8 mi$15,606 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Whitewater residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Whitewater for work
Where Whitewater’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
49jobs based in Whitewater
3%of working residents work in town
23 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Whitewater
Census-designated place in California, United States
Whitewater (formerly White Water) is a census-designated place in Riverside County, California. It is directly off Interstate 10 halfway between North Palm Springs and Cabazon on the way from Palm Springs to Los Angeles. It is known as the site of the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm. The ZIP Code is 92282, and the community is inside area code 760. The population was 984 at the 2020 census. The elevation is 1,575 feet (480 m). Whitewater is famous for its recently renovated trout farm in the canyon of the Whitewater River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 9.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,575 ft
- ZIP code
- 92282
- Area code
- 760
Questions about Whitewater
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Whitewater, CA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $299,000, 61% 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 B−.