Palm Springs, CA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·California·Palm Springs

Why look at Palm Springs?

  • Mid-tier housing market. Median home is $631k.
  • Stable market. Home values -2.2% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
  • Higher tax state. Top marginal income tax rate around 13.3% — factor into salary comparisons.
Palm Springs, CA
Image: Wikipedia · Palm Springs, California
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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54
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Palm Springs stands

Steady, no major recent move.

Median home $630,706
1-year -2.2%
5-yr growth +4.7%
vs 5-yr peak -11.4%
Population +0.5%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-07$631k$291k$440k$590k$740k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
59/100
Workable for remote workers
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,179/mo$1,486$1,898$2,310202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent126138100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 24.1
Lean rent

At a 24.1 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Palm Springs. Buying makes more sense the longer you plan to stay and the more confident you are that prices will keep appreciating roughly in line with rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
39 · w22%
Home 5-yr growth
63 · w22%
Distance from peak
41 · w18%
Population growth
55 · w16%
Rent YoY
66 · w12%
Home 10-yr growth
70 · w10%

About Palm Springs (Wikipedia)

Palm Springs is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately 94 square miles (240 km2), making it the largest city in Riverside County by land area. With multiple plots in checkerboard pattern, more than 10% of the city is part of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians reservation land and is the administrative capital of the most populated reservation in California.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Riverside County right now.

NWS active alerts (CA)California Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Riverside County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Palm Springs

38 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Old Las Palmas$3,018,112+3.0%
2Vista Las Palmas$2,518,076-7.0%
3Andreas Hills$2,315,618-0.4%
4The Movie Colony$2,137,697+4.0%
5The Mesa$1,833,264+1.2%
6Indian Canyon$1,820,894-0.4%
7Historic Tennis Club$1,509,792-3.8%
8Deepwell Estates$1,423,371+0.9%
9El Mirador$1,389,554+2.7%
10Araby Cove$1,264,137-4.7%
11Escena$1,230,816-4.1%
12Tahquitz River Estates$1,225,734-0.4%
13Little Tuscany$1,097,273-3.2%
14Movie Colony East$1,063,192-3.7%
15Los Compadres$1,037,034-5.5%
16Sunrise Park$1,018,147-2.2%
17Sunmor$1,003,059-7.6%
18Racquet Club Estates$950,441-6.3%
19El Rancho Vista Estates$874,161-12.4%
20Vista Norte$834,870-3.4%
21Araby Commons$804,248+0.5%
22Ranch Club$743,995-9.7%
23Gene Autry$699,349-11.8%
24Desert Park Estates$697,026-11.0%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Run the numbers for Palm Springs

ToolCan I afford Palm Springs?Income → city shortlistToolCompare Palm Springs to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolPalm Springs cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

California context

Schools

8 public schools5,474 students23.2:1 student-teacher

Palm Springs is served by 8 public schools enrolling about 5,474 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 23.2:1 — larger classes than the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.

Ratings, districts & boundaries:

NCES school directory →School ratings →California report card →

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
60° / 41°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 60°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
258
~71% of year
Annual precip
22″ rain
8″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
Very high
Earthquake
Very high
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Palm Springs listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Palm Springs-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
65%
Moderate climate
Median household income
$91,500
California state median
Top industries (state-level)
TechEntertainmentAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Find more cities like Palm Springs

Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Palm Springs’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.

Find more like Palm Springs →

Cities similar to Palm Springs

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all California cities →    Browse best-of lists →

Cost-of-ownership at the median

Tax burden
13.3% top marginal
~32% all-in for a $150k earner
Property tax / yr
$4k
0.71% × median home $631k
Climate / hazard
limited data
Plan for the local hazard profile.

Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.

Schools & crime context

Schools

School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.

Crime

California: 499 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.

Compare to where you live now

Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.

Getting here by train

Palm Springs is served by an Amtrak train station — Amtrak Station. Use the map to find it, and open its Google profile for photos, hours, and reviews.

📍 North Indian Canyon Drive and Palm Springs Station Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262Station code PSNPlatform with Shelter

View Amtrak Station on Google Maps →

Jobs & hiring

In Palm Springs, unemployment runs higher at 7.7%, and hiring momentum has been modest. The strongest local sectors are hospitality & tourism, healthcare and tech.

7.7% unemployment39/100 hiring momentum$73,119 median household income38/100 remote-work fit

Search current openings:

Indeed →LinkedIn →Google Jobs →ZipRecruiter →USAJOBS (federal) →