Population

Tempe

186,419

Palm Desert

51,551

Median Income

Tempe

$77,643

Palm Desert

$79,508

Home Value

Tempe

$421,900

Palm Desert

$491,600

Rent

Tempe

$1,623

Palm Desert

$1,717

Crime Rate

Tempe

4.70

Palm Desert

3.24

Cost of Living

Tempe

135.5

Palm Desert

148.4

Avg Temp

Tempe

N/A

Palm Desert

N/A

Unemployment

Tempe

5.7%

Palm Desert

6.1%

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How Similar Are Tempe & Palm Desert?

Palm Desert is Tempe's #8 most similar city

6/10

6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Tempe

186,419

vs

Palm Desert

51,551

Different · 72% difference

Tempe (186,419) is about 3.6x larger than Palm Desert (51,551).

Violent Crime

Tempe

4.70

vs

Palm Desert

3.24

Different · 31% difference
🚨

Tempe has a 31% higher violent crime than Palm Desert.

Property Crime

🔒

Tempe

28.94

vs

Palm Desert

28.27

Match · 2% difference

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

Political Leaning

Tempe

51.2%

vs

Palm Desert

49.3%

Match · 4% difference
🗳️

Tempe leans Republican while Palm Desert leans Democratic.

Unemployment

💼

Tempe

5.7%

vs

Palm Desert

6.1%

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.

Median Income

Tempe

$77,643

vs

Palm Desert

$79,508

Match · 2% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Tempe

$421,900

vs

Palm Desert

$491,600

Different · 14% difference

Palm Desert has a 14% higher home values than Tempe.

Education

Tempe

31.4%

vs

Palm Desert

32.1%

Match · 2% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Tempe

60.1%

vs

Palm Desert

68.3%

Different · 12% difference

Palm Desert has a 12% higher demographics than Tempe.

Cost of Living

Tempe

135.5

vs

Palm Desert

148.4

Match · 9% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.

6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Tempe and Palm Desert share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Tempe

vsof 8

0

Palm Desert

Cost of Living & Affordability — Tempe leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Tempe has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,839 vs $2,201 in Palm Desert (16% lower). Tempe scores 183.4 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 213.3 in Palm Desert. Tempe has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,583 vs $1,777 in Palm Desert (11% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Tempe135.5
Palm Desert148.4

Housing Index

Tempe183.4
Palm Desert213.3

Food Index

Tempe109.3
Palm Desert110.8

Transportation Index

Tempe94.0
Palm Desert100.8

Healthcare Index

Tempe107.5
Palm Desert108.6

Utilities Index

Tempe122.3
Palm Desert129.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Tempe$59,599
Palm Desert$65,291

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Tempe$140,871
Palm Desert$154,324

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Tempe$1,583
Palm Desert$1,777

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Tempe$1,839
Palm Desert$2,201

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Tempe has a vacancy rate of 9.0% compared to 34.0% in Palm Desert. Tempe has a median property tax of $2,179 vs $4,502 in Palm Desert (52% lower). Palm Desert has a owner-occupied of 64.4% compared to 41.6% in Tempe.

Median Home Value

Tempe$421,900
Palm Desert$491,600

Median Rent

Tempe$1,623
Palm Desert$1,717

Median Property Tax

Tempe$2,179
Palm Desert$4,502

Owner-Occupied

Tempe41.6%
Palm Desert64.4%

Vacancy Rate

Tempe9.0%
Palm Desert34.0%

Single-Family Homes

Tempe48.1%
Palm Desert67.9%

Jobs & Economy — Tempe leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Tempe: 115,877 vs Palm Desert: 22,326 for labor force. Palm Desert has a poverty rate of 11.3% compared to 16.2% in Tempe. Tempe has a work from home of 19.4% compared to 14.1% in Palm Desert.

Median Household Income

Tempe$77,643
Palm Desert$79,508

Per Capita Income

Tempe$42,371
Palm Desert$57,793

Poverty Rate

Tempe16.2%
Palm Desert11.3%

Unemployment Rate

Tempe5.7%
Palm Desert6.1%

Labor Force

Tempe115,877
Palm Desert22,326

Mean Commute

Tempe17 min
Palm Desert19 min

Work from Home

Tempe19.4%
Palm Desert14.1%

Private Sector

Tempe99.7%
Palm Desert88.9%

Government Sector

Tempe46.2%
Palm Desert39.0%

Crime & Safety — Palm Desert leads

Source: FBI UCR

Palm Desert has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.24 compared to 3.30 in Tempe. Palm Desert has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 3.24 compared to 4.70 in Tempe. Tempe has a property crime clearance of 18.1% compared to 14.2% in Palm Desert.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Tempe4.70
Palm Desert3.24

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Tempe28.94
Palm Desert28.27

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Tempe0.03
Palm Desert0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Tempe0.66
Palm Desert0.79

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Tempe3.30
Palm Desert2.24

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Tempe3.34
Palm Desert4.46

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Tempe22.58
Palm Desert21.63

Violent Crime Clearance

Tempe42.8%
Palm Desert45.6%

Property Crime Clearance

Tempe18.1%
Palm Desert14.2%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

TempeN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Avg Annual High

TempeN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Avg Annual Low

TempeN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Sunny Days per Year

TempeN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Annual Rainfall

TempeN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Annual Snowfall

TempeN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Avg Humidity

TempeN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Schools & Education — Palm Desert leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Palm Desert has a high school diploma or higher of 46.3% compared to 41.2% in Tempe. Palm Desert has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.1% compared to 31.4% in Tempe.

Public Schools

Tempe0
Palm Desert0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

TempeN/A
Palm DesertN/A

Colleges & Universities

Tempe0
Palm Desert0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Tempe31.4%
Palm Desert32.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

Tempe41.2%
Palm Desert46.3%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Tempe has a population of 186,419, about 3.6x the size of Palm Desert (51,551). Tempe skews younger with a median age of 29.9 vs 56.7.

Population

Tempe186,419
Palm Desert51,551

Median Age

Tempe30
Palm Desert57

Avg Household Size

Tempe2.3
Palm Desert2.1

Married Population

Tempe29.0%
Palm Desert46.5%

Foreign Born

Tempe13.8%
Palm Desert17.4%

White

Tempe60.1%
Palm Desert68.3%

Black

Tempe7.8%
Palm Desert2.2%

Hispanic

Tempe23.1%
Palm Desert26.1%

Asian

Tempe9.5%
Palm Desert4.1%

Tempe

Palm Desert

Healthcare — Palm Desert leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Palm Desert: 5 vs Tempe: 2 for with emergency services. Palm Desert: 3.5 vs Tempe: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Tempe5
Palm Desert5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Tempe3.0
Palm Desert3.5

With Emergency Services

Tempe2
Palm Desert5

Transportation & Commute — Tempe leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Tempe has a bicycle of 2.4% compared to 0.2% in Palm Desert. Tempe has a public transit of 3.3% compared to 0.7% in Palm Desert. Tempe has a work from home of 19.4% compared to 14.1% in Palm Desert.

Mean Commute Time

Tempe17 min
Palm Desert19 min

Drive Alone

Tempe60.6%
Palm Desert69.6%

Public Transit

Tempe3.3%
Palm Desert0.7%

Bicycle

Tempe2.4%
Palm Desert0.2%

Work from Home

Tempe19.4%
Palm Desert14.1%

Airports

Tempe0
Palm Desert0

Cities Similar to Tempe, AZ

Compare Tempe 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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