What percentage of people rent in Palm Desert, CA?

Name: Renters and owners in Palm Desert, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

35.0% (±2.2 points) of the occupied homes in Palm Desert, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 8,651 renting households against 16,039 that own their home.

In Palm Desert, the share of households that rent went from 37.2% in 2015–2019 to 35.0% in 2020–2024 (−2.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 35.0% (±2.2 points)
Renting households: 8,651 (±587)
Median renter income: $52,282 (±$5,996)

Who rents and who owns in Palm Desert

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Palm Desert	Riverside County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	35.0% (±2.2 points)	30.9% (±0.4 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	8,651 (±587)	239,349 (±3,349)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	16,039 (±745)	535,986 (±3,538)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.1 (±0.1)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.1 (±0.1)	3.2 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$52,282 (±$5,996)	$63,524 (±$1,392)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$102,207 (±$9,977)	$109,791 (±$1,274)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Palm Desert, the renter share is higher than in Riverside County (30.9%).

It is also lower than in California (44.1%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

In Riverside County, Palm Desert ranks 17 of 71 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 525 of 1,076.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Palm Desert has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	37.2% (±2.1 points)	35.0% (±2.2 points)	−2.2 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,319 (±$40)	$1,778 (±$53)	+34.8%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$59,977 (±$3,624)	$77,513 (±$7,228)	+29.2%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Palm Desert

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Palm Desert
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Palm Desert	—	35.0% (±2.2 points)	—
Indian Wells	3.3 mi	20.2% (±8.4 points)	Lower
Rancho Mirage	4.2 mi	18.0% (±3.1 points)	Lower
Bermuda Dunes	4.4 mi	50.4% (±5.7 points)	Higher
Desert Palms	4.8 mi	13.6% (±6.9 points)	Lower
Thousand Palms	5.4 mi	27.2% (±10.1 points)	Not measurably different
Indio	7.4 mi	32.9% (±2.0 points)	Not measurably different
La Quinta	8.1 mi	24.3% (±2.9 points)	Lower
Cathedral City	8.8 mi	33.5% (±2.4 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Indian Wells, CA (20.2%), Rancho Mirage, CA (18.0%), Desert Palms, CA (13.6%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Bermuda Dunes, CA (50.4%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Riverside County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
11	Cabazon	39.9% (±16.7 points)
12	Mesa Verde	39.2% (±20.1 points)
13	Hemet	37.7% (±2.5 points)
14	Moreno Valley	36.7% (±1.4 points)
15	Coachella	36.3% (±2.9 points)
16	Corona	36.2% (±1.5 points)
17	Palm Desert	35.0% (±2.2 points)
18	Warm Springs	34.5% (±16.2 points)
19	Palm Springs	34.1% (±1.7 points)
20	Cathedral City	33.5% (±2.4 points)
21	Indio	32.9% (±2.0 points)
22	Lakeland Village	32.3% (±6.1 points)
23	Temecula	32.0% (±1.9 points)

Showing 13 of 71 places in Riverside County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Palm Desert

One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.

Looking for a place to rent?

Browse homes for rent near Palm Desert, save the ones you like and apply online.

Browse rentals · Create a renter account

Own or manage a rental?

List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Palm Desert beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near Palm Desert, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Palm Desert

How many renters are there in Palm Desert?

Palm Desert has an estimated 8,651 (±587) renting households, 35.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Palm Desert?

In Palm Desert, the share of households that rent went from 37.2% in 2015–2019 to 35.0% in 2020–2024 (−2.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Palm Desert?

A renting household in Palm Desert has 2.1 people on average, against 2.1 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Palm Desert?

The median renting household in Palm Desert, CA has an income of $52,282 (±$5,996) a year, against $102,207 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Palm Desert city, California (place:55184, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.