Housing data for Thermal, CA
Thermal, CA has an estimated 1,800 residents and 886 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Riverside County.
43.4% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $986 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,800 (±476)
- Housing units
- 886 (±312)
- Households that rent
- 43.4%
- Median gross rent
- $986
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +35.0%
What stands out in Thermal
Homes built before 1980: 62.7% (±23.6 points) in Thermal, higher than in Riverside County (30.2%).
Median home value: $187,000 (±$60,933) in Thermal, lower than in Riverside County ($557,300).
Median real estate taxes: $1,376 (±$743) in Thermal, lower than in Riverside County ($4,348).
Median gross rent: $986 (±$210) in Thermal, lower than in Riverside County ($1,901).
Housing in Thermal at a glance
- Median rent: $986 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,254 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 62.3% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 43.4% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Home values: $187,000 median home value
- Property taxes: $1,376 median real estate taxes a year (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Types of homes: 6.9% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Bedrooms: 52.5% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Age of homes: 62.7% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 8.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 47.3% heat with electricity (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Commute and cars: 22.0 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +35.0% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 22.4% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 4.9% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Thermal against Riverside County, its state and the nation
| Thermal | Riverside County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,800 (±476) | 2,478,600 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 886 (±312) | 869,414 (±362) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 43.4% (±24.7 points) | 30.9% (±0.4 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $986 (±$210) | $1,901 (±$17) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | — | $93,074 (±$1,015) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $187,000 (±$60,933) | $557,300 (±$2,765) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,376 (±$743) | $4,348 (±$38) | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 62.7% (±23.6 points) | 30.2% (±0.4 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 22.0 minutes (±3.9) | 33.8 minutes (±0.3) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 84.2% (±12.8 points) | 93.6% (±0.3 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 34.3 years (±8.3) | 37.0 years (±0.1) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Thermal covers 9.4 square miles of land, about 192 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Thermal has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,333 (±613) | 1,800 (±476) | +35.0% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 620 (±150) | 886 (±312) | +42.9% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $499 (±$142) | $986 (±$210) | +97.6% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 41.0% (±16.6 points) | 43.4% (±24.7 points) | +2.4 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±17.9 points) | 8.0% (±12.1 points) | +8.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
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.
Crime reported to police in Riverside County
Thermal has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Riverside County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Riverside County recorded 272 violent and 1,495 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Thermal
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coachella | 4.5 mi | $1,144 | $367,600 | 36.3% |
| Vista Santa Rosa | 4.5 mi | $1,356 | $427,700 | 20.6% |
| Mecca | 5.1 mi | $916 | $224,300 | 46.2% |
| Oasis | 6.8 mi | $862 | $34,800 | 42.0% |
| La Quinta | 8.4 mi | $1,785 | $661,600 | 24.3% |
| Indio | 9.5 mi | $1,437 | $458,400 | 32.9% |
| Bermuda Dunes | 12 mi | $1,693 | $596,300 | 50.4% |
| Indian Wells | 13 mi | $1,088 | $1,078,200 | 20.2% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Thermal, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,605 | $1,705 | $2,103 | $2,771 | $3,336 |
HUD income limits for Thermal, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $25,850 | $43,050 | $68,900 |
| 2 people | $29,550 | $49,200 | $78,750 |
| 3 people | $33,250 | $55,350 | $88,600 |
| 4 people | $36,900 | $61,500 | $98,400 |
| 5 people | $39,900 | $66,450 | $106,300 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $71,350 | $114,150 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $76,300 | $122,050 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $81,200 | $129,900 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $106,500.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Thermal is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
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 Thermal
What is the average rent in Thermal, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Thermal is $986 (±$210) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Thermal?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Thermal, CA is $694 (±$160) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Thermal rent-burdened?
62.3% of renting households in Thermal pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Thermal, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $187,000 (±$60,933) for owner-occupied homes in Thermal (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How old are most homes in Thermal?
62.7% of homes in Thermal, CA were built before 1980 (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How long is the average commute in Thermal?
Workers who live in Thermal, CA take an average of 22.0 minutes each way (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Thermal growing?
In Thermal, the number of residents went from 1,333 in 2015–2019 to 1,800 in 2020–2024 (+35.0%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Thermal CDP, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Thermal CDP, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Thermal CDP, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Thermal CDP, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Thermal CDP, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Thermal CDP, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Thermal CDP, California
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
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 Thermal CDP, California (place:78456, in state:06).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
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.
Figures last updated on .