Palm Desert, CA Demographics

A map of Palm Desert's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	33,040	32,535	63.6%	63.6%
Hispanic	13,896	13,315	26.7%	26.0%
Asian	2,450	2,364	4.7%	4.6%
Multiracial	1,561	1,619	3.0%	3.2%
Black	818	935	1.6%	1.8%
Native American/Other	225	395	0.4%	0.8%

Palm Desert, California has an estimated population of 51,990, a slight increase from the 51,163 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 63.6% White, 26.7% Hispanic, 4.7% Asian, 3.0% Multiracial, 1.6% Black, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Palm Desert, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Palm Desert is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than California overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Palm Desert, that probability was 52.4% in 2020 and 52.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Palm Desert is ranked the 181st most populous place in California, out of 1,618 places. This ranking is based on the Census definition of a place, which includes incorporated places like cities, towns, and villages, as well as unincorporated census-designated places (CDPs). Palm Desert was ranked the 187th most populous place in the 2020 Census.

Palm Desert's White Population

33,040 residents of Palm Desert, or 63.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Palm Desert is significantly higher than in California overall, where 33.8% of the population is White. Palm Desert ranks 702nd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 1,618 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Palm Desert's White population has grown by an estimated 1.6%. White residents' share of Palm Desert's population has remained roughly unchanged at 63.6%.

Palm Desert is more White than neighboring Thousand Palms (29.6% White), and Bermuda Dunes (54.5% White). Palm Desert is less White than neighboring Indian Wells (87.7% White), Rancho Mirage (77.5% White), and Desert Palms (89.2% White).

Palm Desert's Black Population

818 residents of Palm Desert, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Palm Desert is slightly lower than in California overall, where 5.2% of the population is Black. Palm Desert ranks 466th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 1,618 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Palm Desert's Black population has declined by an estimated 12.5%. Black residents' share of Palm Desert's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.6%.

Palm Desert is more Black than neighboring Thousand Palms (0.2% Black), and Bermuda Dunes (1% Black). Palm Desert is less Black than neighboring Indian Wells (2.9% Black), Rancho Mirage (1.8% Black), and Desert Palms (2.6% Black).

Palm Desert's Asian Population

2,450 residents of Palm Desert, or 4.7% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Palm Desert is considerably lower than in California overall, where 15.3% of the population is Asian. Palm Desert ranks 500th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 1,618 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Palm Desert's Asian population has grown by an estimated 3.6%. Asian residents' share of Palm Desert's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.7%.

Palm Desert is more Asian than neighboring Indian Wells (1.7% Asian), Rancho Mirage (3.7% Asian), Thousand Palms (0.5% Asian), Bermuda Dunes (2.9% Asian), and Desert Palms (1.1% Asian).

Palm Desert's Hispanic Population

13,896 residents of Palm Desert, or 26.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Palm Desert is considerably lower than in California overall, where 40.2% of the population is Hispanic. Palm Desert ranks 735th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 1,618 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Palm Desert's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 4.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Palm Desert's population has increased from 26.0% to 26.7%.

Palm Desert is more Hispanic than neighboring Indian Wells (5% Hispanic), Rancho Mirage (14.1% Hispanic), and Desert Palms (6.6% Hispanic). Palm Desert is less Hispanic than neighboring Thousand Palms (66.6% Hispanic), and Bermuda Dunes (35.2% Hispanic).

Palm Desert's Native American/Other Population

225 residents of Palm Desert, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Palm Desert is comparable to the share in California overall, where 1.2% of the population is Native American/Other. Palm Desert ranks 1244th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 1,618 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Palm Desert's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 43.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Palm Desert's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Palm Desert is more Native American/Other than neighboring Indian Wells (0.3% Native American/Other), and Desert Palms (0% Native American/Other). Palm Desert is less Native American/Other than neighboring Rancho Mirage (0.6% Native American/Other), Thousand Palms (0.8% Native American/Other), and Bermuda Dunes (0.5% Native American/Other).

Palm Desert's Multiracial Population

1,561 residents of Palm Desert, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Palm Desert is comparable to the share in California overall, where 4.4% of the population is Multiracial. Palm Desert ranks 1155th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 1,618 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Palm Desert's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 3.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Palm Desert's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.0%.

Palm Desert is more Multiracial than neighboring Indian Wells (2.5% Multiracial), Rancho Mirage (2.2% Multiracial), Thousand Palms (2.3% Multiracial), and Desert Palms (0.6% Multiracial). Palm Desert is less Multiracial than neighboring Bermuda Dunes (5.8% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.