California - Golden State through High Head Reservoir, 1917
Yermo’s story
121 years in pictures
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 2 maps from 1953 on.
- 1905Yermo is settled
YermoCA
Today 958 people live in this town, first settled in 1905.
Photo: Barkalow Brothers Co. / C.T. American Art · Public domain
Population
958
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$150K
+5.7% in a year
Household income
$59K
median
Median age
38.7
years
Jobs based here
116
A commuter town
Is Yermo a good place to live?
Yermo’s midsummer high is 104°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Of the 834 California towns we compare, none has a lower median rent than Yermo. Yermo has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
958 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Yermo: who provides what
Yermo is unincorporated, so San Bernardino County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLiberty -Yermo water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSan Bernardino CountySan Bernardino 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 hereSan Bernardino Registrar of VotersSan Bernardino County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP code9239892398 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 Yermo.
Housing
Zillow puts the typical Yermo home at about $150K
Two in five households are owner-occupiers in Yermo. Values rose 5.7% in the 12 months to September 2026.
$150KZillow home value
Typical home value
Yermo$150K
California$762K
+5.7%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Schools
The schools Yermo’s kids attend
Its one school is below. The Silver Valley Unified school district runs its public schools. Enrollment at Yermo’s public school: 368 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yermo ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 368 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Yermo has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
In Yermo, 15% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 1% of working residents stay in Yermo for work; the rest commute out. For Yermo, the middle household income is $59,000. Employers in Yermo added 112 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 116.
1%work in town
| Yermo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Yermo1%
Los Angeles10%
Barstow5%
Fort Irwin4%
Long Beach3%
91 mi
median commute distance
116
jobs based in Yermo
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
High risk in Yermo, with inland flooding at the top
One declared disaster, in 2023, has brought federal aid to Yermo households. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 78% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 46% come from inland flooding and 44% from earthquakes.
78risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesAvalanches
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
104°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter37–62°
Spring51–80°
Summer70–102°
Fall53–83°
Nov 26
typical first frost
Feb 19
typical last frost
+2.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
104°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Yermo is
For adults in Yermo, the share who sleep under 7 hours is 37%. In Yermo, 71% of adults had a checkup this year, and 20% report frequent mental distress.
| Yermo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
0 better18 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Yermo | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 7.5% | 5.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.7% | 10.6% |
| More adults with arthritis | 27.6% | 20.8% |
Barstow Community Hospital
11.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
0% of Yermo is conserved land
Trails run 0.5 miles in 2 parks and preserves. In Yermo, the trail network density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 416 acres
0.5 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fred Sandridge Sports Park | — | 4 |
| 2. Norman Smith Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 17 attractions →Calico Early Man Site and 4 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Yermo. Close and well known come first.
5 mi Ancient siteCalico Early Man Sitein town MuseumLiberty Sculpture Park
39 mi National PreserveMojave National Preserve570K visitors a year
11 mi MuseumWestern America Railroad Museum
37 mi MuseumCalifornia Route 66 MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Calico Early Man Site: Ellen Levy Finch (Elf), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mojave National Preserve: InyoCima, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Western America Railroad Museum: Klaus Nahr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · California Route 66 Museum: Sanfel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Yermo
17pages on Yermo
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Yermo
College town 20 of every 100 Yermo residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Yermo for work
Where Yermo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
116jobs based in Yermo
1%of working residents work in town
91 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Yermo
Unincorporated town in California, United States
Yermo (Spanish for "wilderness" or "wasteland") is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. It is 13 miles (21 km) east of Barstow on Interstate 15, just south of the Calico Mountains. As of the 2020 census, Yermo had a population of 623. Founded in 1902 and originally named Otis, Yermo is situated at a division point of the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, later the Union Pacific Railroad line. A post office was established three years later with William J. Flavin serving as Yermo's first postmaster. It later developed around serving motorists traveling the Arrowhead Trail (later U.S. Route 91), which ran through…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 1,929 ft
- ZIP code
- 92398
Questions about Yermo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Yermo, CA a good place to live?
Yermo has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.