Map the Block › Places › California › Palm Desert
Palm Desert, California by the numbers
According to the FBI, Palm Desert had 1.4 reported violent crimes per 1,000 residents in 2025, 68% lower than the California rate (4.3). Median household income is $77,513 and the median home value is $542,000. About 51,990 people live in Palm Desert.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income by neighborhood · home values · schools
What is the crime rate in Palm Desert?
In 2025 the Palm Desert Police Department reported 74 violent crimes to the FBI, which works out to 1.4 per 1,000 people. That is 68% lower than the California rate (4.3), and 58% lower than the national rate (3.3). There were also 1,119 property crimes, a rate of 20.9 per 1,000. Violent crimes fell 59% between 2022 and 2025 (182 to 74).
| Offense (2025) | Palm Desert count | Per 1,000 | California per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 74 | 1.4 | 4.3 | 3.3 |
| Murder | 0 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.04 |
| Rape | 7 | 0.13 | 0.33 | 0.36 |
| Robbery | 33 | 0.62 | 0.95 | 0.49 |
| Aggravated assault | 34 | 0.63 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
| Property crime | 1,119 | 20.9 | 17.9 | 15.3 |
| Burglary | 126 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 1.9 |
| Larceny-theft | 930 | 17.3 | 12.0 | 11.4 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 63 | 1.2 | 3.2 | 2.0 |
How has crime in Palm Desert changed since 2021?
| Year | Violent crimes | Property crimes | Murders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | not reported in full | – | – |
| 2022 | 182 | 2,024 | 2 |
| 2023 | 144 | 1,878 | 1 |
| 2024 | 169 | 1,476 | 0 |
| 2025 | 74 | 1,119 | 0 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. City figures are the Palm Desert Police Department's own reports.
How does Palm Desert compare with California?
Households in Palm Desert have a median income of $77,513 (California: $99,122). Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $542,000, and half of renters pay more than $1,778 a month. About 51,990 people live on 27 square miles of land, roughly 1,942 per square mile. The city lies in Riverside County.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Palm Desert | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 51,990 | 39,287,377 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $77,513 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $542,000 | $734,700 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $1,778 | $2,036 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 6.4% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 11.0% | 12.0% | 12.5% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 40.7% | 37.1% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 65.0% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 57.5 | 37.9 | 38.9 |
What environmental sites and hazards are in Palm Desert?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Riverside County as “Very High”. Of the seven hazards on our map, FEMA rates these highest: wildfire (Very High), river flooding (Very High), earthquakes (Very High) and heat waves (Relatively High). The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Is there road construction in Palm Desert?
The state DOT feed had no interstate, U.S. or state highway work zones in Palm Desert city limits on October 11, 2026. Some states publish only part of their road work in open feeds, so check the state's 511 site before you travel. The map's layer refreshes every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in or near Palm Desert?
Federal school lists place 6 public and 3 private schools within Palm Desert. 2 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes are in the city.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Palm Desert
Gun shops
One gun shop with a public storefront is on the map inside the Palm Desert city limits (0 from the ATF licensee list, 1 from OpenStreetMap), plus 1 more licensed dealer without a public storefront (not shown).
Liquor stores
3 liquor stores are on the map inside the Palm Desert city limits: Clubhouse Liquor (Palm Desert), Palm Desert Liquor INC (Palm Desert) and Total Wine & More (Palm Desert).
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center inside the Palm Desert city limits on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Palm Desert?
In 2025, Palm Desert had 1.4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (74 reported), 68% lower than the California rate (4.3). The property-crime rate was 20.9 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Palm Desert?
$77,513 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024), compared with $99,122 for California.
How much do homes cost in Palm Desert?
The median value of owner-occupied homes is $542,000 (Census ACS 2020-2024), against $734,700 statewide.
What natural hazards affect Palm Desert?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Riverside County as “Very High”. Of the seven hazards on our map, FEMA rates these highest: wildfire (Very High), river flooding (Very High), earthquakes (Very High) and heat waves (Relatively High).
Nearby cities
Indio, CA (7 mi) · Cathedral City, CA (9 mi) · Beaumont, CA (35 mi) · Hemet, CA (36 mi) · San Jacinto, CA (37 mi) · Yucaipa, CA (44 mi)
More: California statewide numbers · county page: Riverside County · Sex-offender registry search (NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, agency counts 2021-2025 (Return A); state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables, for the Census place Palm Desert city.
- Land area: Census 2024 Gazetteer. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores (county level).
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026).
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026).
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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