Population

Santa Paula

31,202

Palm Desert

51,551

Median Income

Santa Paula

$77,130

Palm Desert

$79,508

Home Value

Santa Paula

$559,300

Palm Desert

$491,600

Rent

Santa Paula

$1,698

Palm Desert

$1,717

Crime Rate

Santa Paula

3.30

Palm Desert

3.24

Cost of Living

Santa Paula

151.8

Palm Desert

148.4

Avg Temp

Santa Paula

N/A

Palm Desert

N/A

Unemployment

Santa Paula

6.1%

Palm Desert

6.1%

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How Similar Are Santa Paula & Palm Desert?

Palm Desert is Santa Paula's #23 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Santa Paula

31,202

vs

Palm Desert

51,551

Different · 39% difference

Palm Desert has a 39% larger population than Santa Paula.

Violent Crime

Santa Paula

3.30

vs

Palm Desert

3.24

Match · 2% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 2% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Santa Paula

8.74

vs

Palm Desert

28.27

Different · 69% difference

Palm Desert's property crime is significantly higher than Santa Paula's — 69% difference.

Political Leaning

Santa Paula

41.0%

vs

Palm Desert

49.3%

Different · 17% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Palm Desert has a stronger Democratic lean (17% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Santa Paula

6.1%

vs

Palm Desert

6.1%

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 1% difference.

Median Income

Santa Paula

$77,130

vs

Palm Desert

$79,508

Match · 3% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Santa Paula

$559,300

vs

Palm Desert

$491,600

Different · 12% difference

Santa Paula has a 12% higher home values than Palm Desert.

Education

Santa Paula

9.4%

vs

Palm Desert

32.1%

Different · 71% difference
🎓

Palm Desert's education is significantly higher than Santa Paula's — 71% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Santa Paula

60.4%

vs

Palm Desert

68.3%

Different · 12% difference

Palm Desert has a 12% higher demographics than Santa Paula.

Cost of Living

Santa Paula

151.8

vs

Palm Desert

148.4

Match · 2% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Paula and Palm Desert share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Santa Paula

vsof 8

0

Palm Desert

Palm Desert leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Palm Desert leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Palm Desert has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,777 vs $2,250 in Santa Paula (27% lower). Palm Desert has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,201 vs $2,693 in Santa Paula (22% lower). Palm Desert scores 100.8 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 116.9 in Santa Paula.

Overall Cost Index

Santa Paula151.8
Palm Desert148.4

Housing Index

Santa Paula218.8
Palm Desert213.3

Food Index

Santa Paula109.0
Palm Desert110.8

Transportation Index

Santa Paula116.9
Palm Desert100.8

Healthcare Index

Santa Paula107.2
Palm Desert108.6

Utilities Index

Santa Paula129.1
Palm Desert129.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Santa Paula$66,782
Palm Desert$65,291

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Santa Paula$157,848
Palm Desert$154,324

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Santa Paula$2,250
Palm Desert$1,777

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Santa Paula$2,693
Palm Desert$2,201

Housing Market — Santa Paula leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Santa Paula has a vacancy rate of 5.0% compared to 34.0% in Palm Desert. Santa Paula has a median property tax of $3,674 vs $4,502 in Palm Desert (18% lower). Palm Desert has a owner-occupied of 64.4% compared to 53.7% in Santa Paula.

Median Home Value

Santa Paula$559,300
Palm Desert$491,600

Median Rent

Santa Paula$1,698
Palm Desert$1,717

Median Property Tax

Santa Paula$3,674
Palm Desert$4,502

Owner-Occupied

Santa Paula53.7%
Palm Desert64.4%

Vacancy Rate

Santa Paula5.0%
Palm Desert34.0%

Single-Family Homes

Santa Paula67.3%
Palm Desert67.9%

Jobs & Economy — Palm Desert leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Palm Desert has a work from home of 14.1% compared to 4.6% in Santa Paula. Palm Desert has a per capita income of $57,793 vs $30,453 in Santa Paula (47% higher). Palm Desert has a poverty rate of 11.3% compared to 15.3% in Santa Paula.

Median Household Income

Santa Paula$77,130
Palm Desert$79,508

Per Capita Income

Santa Paula$30,453
Palm Desert$57,793

Poverty Rate

Santa Paula15.3%
Palm Desert11.3%

Unemployment Rate

Santa Paula6.1%
Palm Desert6.1%

Labor Force

Santa Paula15,368
Palm Desert22,326

Mean Commute

Santa Paula26 min
Palm Desert19 min

Work from Home

Santa Paula4.6%
Palm Desert14.1%

Private Sector

Santa Paula95.8%
Palm Desert88.9%

Government Sector

Santa Paula44.6%
Palm Desert39.0%

Crime & Safety — Santa Paula leads

Source: FBI UCR

Santa Paula has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.84 compared to 4.46 in Palm Desert. Santa Paula has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 8.74 compared to 28.27 in Palm Desert. Santa Paula has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 6.72 compared to 21.63 in Palm Desert.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Santa Paula3.30
Palm Desert3.24

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Santa Paula8.74
Palm Desert28.27

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Santa Paula0.03
Palm Desert0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Santa Paula0.50
Palm Desert0.79

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Santa Paula2.36
Palm Desert2.24

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Santa Paula0.84
Palm Desert4.46

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Santa Paula6.72
Palm Desert21.63

Violent Crime Clearance

Santa Paula58.5%
Palm Desert45.6%

Property Crime Clearance

Santa Paula20.6%
Palm Desert14.2%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Santa PaulaN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Avg Annual High

Santa PaulaN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Avg Annual Low

Santa PaulaN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Santa PaulaN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Annual Rainfall

Santa PaulaN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Annual Snowfall

Santa PaulaN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Avg Humidity

Santa PaulaN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Schools & Education — Palm Desert leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Palm Desert has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.1% compared to 9.4% in Santa Paula. Palm Desert has a high school diploma or higher of 46.3% compared to 22.7% in Santa Paula.

Public Schools

Santa Paula0
Palm Desert0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Santa PaulaN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Colleges & Universities

Santa Paula0
Palm Desert0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Santa Paula9.4%
Palm Desert32.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

Santa Paula22.7%
Palm Desert46.3%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Palm Desert has a population of 51,551, about 1.7x the size of Santa Paula (31,202). Santa Paula skews younger with a median age of 35.2 vs 56.7.

Population

Santa Paula31,202
Palm Desert51,551

Median Age

Santa Paula35
Palm Desert57

Avg Household Size

Santa Paula3.3
Palm Desert2.1

Married Population

Santa Paula38.5%
Palm Desert46.5%

Foreign Born

Santa Paula32.2%
Palm Desert17.4%

White

Santa Paula60.4%
Palm Desert68.3%

Black

Santa Paula1.3%
Palm Desert2.2%

Hispanic

Santa Paula80.6%
Palm Desert26.1%

Asian

Santa Paula1.2%
Palm Desert4.1%

Santa Paula

Palm Desert

Healthcare — Palm Desert leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Palm Desert: 3.5 vs Santa Paula: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Santa Paula5
Palm Desert5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Santa Paula3.0
Palm Desert3.5

With Emergency Services

Santa Paula5
Palm Desert5

Transportation & Commute — Palm Desert leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Palm Desert has a work from home of 14.1% compared to 4.6% in Santa Paula. Palm Desert has a public transit of 0.7% compared to 0.4% in Santa Paula. Palm Desert: 19 min vs Santa Paula: 26 min for mean commute time.

Mean Commute Time

Santa Paula26 min
Palm Desert19 min

Drive Alone

Santa Paula74.6%
Palm Desert69.6%

Public Transit

Santa Paula0.4%
Palm Desert0.7%

Bicycle

Santa Paula0.2%
Palm Desert0.2%

Work from Home

Santa Paula4.6%
Palm Desert14.1%

Airports

Santa Paula0
Palm Desert0

Cities Similar to Santa Paula, CA

Compare Santa Paula against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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