Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, home to about 51,990 people across 27 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 92211 and 92260.
Homes sold for a median of $337 per square foot across 2 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and 0 of 2 were seller’s markets.
Mostly Palm Desert; also Desert Palms and Thousand Palms
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Palm Desert. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Palm Desert’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)10 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Riverside, CA61 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | San Diego, CA77 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Palm Desert; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Palm Desert had 51,163 residents in the 2020 census, up 24% since 2000.
It’s the 181st largest of 1,563 towns in California by population.
Riverside County grew from 17,897 residents in 1900 to 2,418,185 in 2020.
Riverside County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 106°F in summer, and winter lows average 45°F. About 3.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Indio Fire Stn, CA weather station (9 miles away).
687,526 jobs at 46,244 businesses in Riverside County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
661 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Palm Desert’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 57 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 80 |
| Dentists | 98 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 67 |
| Mental health providers | 208 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 91 |
| Optometrists | 22 |
| Chiropractors | 38 |
| Pharmacies | 30 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (13 nearby)
Grocery stores (10 nearby)
Pharmacies (5 nearby)
Libraries (4 nearby)
Museums
Theaters and performance venues (6 nearby)
Counts are within about 3.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1973.
Colleges and universities
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Desert Sands Unified. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln ElementaryPalm Desert | K–5 | 607 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| George Washington CharterPalm Desert | K–5 | 746 | Charter | 1.7 mi |
| James Earl Carter ElementaryPalm Desert | K–5 | 487 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| Ronald Reagan ElementaryPalm Desert | K–5 | 808 | Public | 3.0 mi |
| Palm Desert Charter MiddlePalm Desert | 6–8 | 1,298 | Charter | 0.6 mi |
| Palm Desert HighPalm Desert | 9–12 | 2,079 | Public | 0.4 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Desert Learning Tree CenterPalm Desert | Pre-K–5 | 103 | Nonsectarian | 3.2 mi |
| Sacred Heart SchoolPalm Desert | Pre-K–8 | 562 | Roman Catholic | 0.7 mi |
| Desert Adventist SchoolPalm Desert | TK–8 | 45 | Seventh-day Adventist | 1.4 mi |
| Xavier College Preparatory High SchoolPalm Desert | 9–12 | 538 | Roman Catholic | 3.8 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Desert Palms and Thousand Palms.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.