What is the rental vacancy rate in Palm Desert, CA?

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

The rental vacancy rate in Palm Desert, CA is 8.8% (±2.7 points) (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

The homeowner vacancy rate is 2.0% (±0.9 points).

12,338 (±513) homes, 33.3% of all housing units, were vacant, a count that includes seasonal homes and homes being sold or rented.

In Palm Desert, the rental vacancy rate went from 7.8% in 2015–2019 to 8.8% in 2020–2024 (+1.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Rental vacancy rate: 8.8% (±2.7 points)
Homeowner vacancy rate: 2.0% (±0.9 points)
Vacant homes: 12,338 (±513)

Vacancy in Palm Desert against Riverside County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Palm Desert	Riverside County	California	United States
Rental vacancy rate	8.8% (±2.7 points)	5.0% (±0.5 points)	4.2% (±0.1 points)	5.5%
Homeowner vacancy rate	2.0% (±0.9 points)	1.0% (±0.1 points)	0.8% (±0.1 points)	0.9%
Vacant housing units	12,338 (±513)	94,079 (±2,218)	1,096,644 (±18,928)	14,547,859

The rental vacancy rate is the share of rental homes that are vacant and for rent; it leaves out homes already rented but not yet moved into, and seasonal homes.

In Palm Desert, the rental vacancy rate is higher than in Riverside County (5.0%).

It is also higher than in California (4.2%).

It is higher than the national figure (5.5%).

Rental vacancy rate in places near Palm Desert

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Palm Desert
Place	Distance	Rental vacancy rate	Compared with this place
Palm Desert	—	8.8% (±2.7 points)	—
Indian Wells	3.3 mi	29.8% (±14.8 points)	Higher
Rancho Mirage	4.2 mi	8.4% (±5.6 points)	Not measurably different
Bermuda Dunes	4.4 mi	17.6% (±9.4 points)	Not measurably different
Desert Palms	4.8 mi	4.7% (±8.3 points)	Not measurably different
Thousand Palms	5.4 mi	13.7% (±12.9 points)	Not measurably different
Indio	7.4 mi	10.3% (±2.7 points)	Not measurably different
La Quinta	8.1 mi	23.0% (±4.4 points)	Higher
Cathedral City	8.8 mi	4.4% (±2.1 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Cathedral City, CA (4.4%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Indian Wells, CA (29.8%), La Quinta, CA (23.0%).

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

Rental vacancy rate across Riverside County, place by place

Rank	Place	Rental vacancy rate
10	Thousand Palms	13.7% (±12.9 points)
11	Homeland	13.0% (±13.5 points)
12	Warm Springs	12.3% (±19.8 points)
13	Green Acres	11.4% (±20.4 points)
14	Indio	10.3% (±2.7 points)
15	Palm Springs	9.3% (±2.5 points)
16	Palm Desert	8.8% (±2.7 points)
17	Rancho Mirage	8.4% (±5.6 points)
18	Thermal	8.0% (±12.1 points)
19	Highgrove	7.5% (±11.5 points)
20	Wildomar	6.3% (±4.6 points)
21	Hemet	6.2% (±2.4 points)
22 (tie)	Canyon Lake	5.2% (±8.0 points)

Showing 13 of 70 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.

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Questions about Palm Desert

Is it hard to find a rental in Palm Desert?

The rental vacancy rate in Palm Desert, CA is 8.8% (±2.7 points); a low rate means few rental homes stand empty and for rent at any time, which usually means more competition for each one.

Is the rental market in Palm Desert tighter than it was?

In Palm Desert, the rental vacancy rate went from 7.8% in 2015–2019 to 8.8% in 2020–2024 (+1.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How many homes are vacant in Palm Desert?

An estimated 12,338 (±513) housing units, 33.3% of the total, including seasonal homes and homes waiting to be sold or rented.

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) 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_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M, DP04_0004E, DP04_0004M, DP04_0003E, DP04_0003M, DP04_0003PE, DP04_0003PM

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.