Desert AireWA
A town of 2,788.
Is Desert Aire a good place to live?
Desert Aire earns a D−, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of schools. Its public schools trail 82% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation. Desert Aire’s July high is 91°F, where Washington’s towns sit at 77°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 100% of U.S. towns. On health, just 39 of Washington’s 397 towns do worse.
Desert Aire has grown 41% from 2010 to 2020
1,626 counted in 2010 and 2,288 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Desert Aire grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Desert Aire is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Desert Aire: who provides what
Desert Aire is unincorporated, so Grant County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Desert Aire.
Desert Aire sends most of its workers to Mattawa and beyond, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Desert Aire has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
7.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Desert Aire’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Priest Rapids Recreation Area | 0.2 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents commute out of Desert Aire
Desert Aire has 138 jobs for its 705 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 18.9 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
Most working residents leave Desert Aire for work: only 4% work in town. The average trip to work in Desert Aire is 19 minutes. The top destinations are Mattawa (18%), Othello (5%) and Wenatchee (5%).
| Desert Aire | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
High risk in Desert Aire, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Desert Aire has four seasons and hot summers
Desert Aire has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 91° and January nights drop to 27°.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Desert Aire is less healthy than 65% of U.S. towns
The nearest emergency room, Astria Sunnyside Hospital, is 26 miles away in a straight line.
Desert Aire beats the Washington average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 22% of Desert Aire adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Desert Aire | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 7.8% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 17% | 19% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 71% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Desert Aire | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 22.4% | 8.4% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 25.9% | 16.3% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 27.7% | 17.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median home in Desert Aire sells for about $305K
83% of households own their home in Desert Aire.
| Desert Aire | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,739 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Desert Aire
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Desert Aire; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Desert Aire residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
96% of working residents leave Desert Aire for work
Where Desert Aire’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Desert Aire
Census-designated place in Washington, United States
Desert Aire is a census-designated place (CDP) in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,288 at the 2020 census up from 1,626 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 568 ft
- Area code
- 509
Questions about Desert Aire
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Desert Aire, WA a good place to live?
Desert Aire grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades C+ for health and C− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Desert Aire, WA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $455,000, 23% below the Washington 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 D.