City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

Desert Edge, CA

Desert Edge's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

3,642
Residents
$40,089
Median income
$56,900
Median home
$2,053
Median rent (state)
View my watchlist

Compare or rank this city

Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

Compare with another city

Starting with Desert Edge, CA - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Desert Edge.

Place dossier plate

Sheet CA-DESERT-EDGE-CA · Desert Edge, CA 3,642 pop · income 8th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-LOW · COL-ABOVE · SAFE-UNK · RANK-BOTTOM · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 3,642
  • INC-LOW $40,089
  • COL-ABOVE 110.7
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-BOTTOM 8th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Jameson
  • HOME-LOW $56,900
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Jameson, MO (+ $0 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Desert Edge

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Desert Edge on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Desert Edge on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 3,642.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $40,089. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Desert Edge - the verdict

Nationally, Desert Edge sits in the 8th percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.

8th
percentile, household income
1st
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Desert Edge, CA

California's Desert Edge is a small town, with 3,642 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Desert Edge brings in $40,089 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 12.0%. Desert Edge's housing stock carries a median value of $56,900, and the median resident age is 63.7 years. 18.6% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 30.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

California carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,053 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in California run around $275, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 out of 100 (Very High).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Desert Edge's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to comparison shortlist to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Desert Edge, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Desert Edge?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 62.4%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 2

Which cities make useful reference points for Desert Edge?

Within California, the closest population matches are Crockett (3,642 residents, $102,400 income); Lake Isabella (3,654 residents, $26,763 income); Rollingwood (3,623 residents, $96,808 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Whitesboro, NY (3,643 residents); Port Vue, PA (3,641 residents); Gatlinburg, TN (3,643 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Question 3

How far does income reach against housing in Desert Edge?

The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 12.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Population

3,642 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$40,089 /yr

Lowest-decile income · poverty 12.0% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

110.7 (US=100)

Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average

City profile score · Desert Edge, CA

17/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Poverty rate F
12.0%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Bachelor's+ share F
18.6%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Household income F
$40,089

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Cost of living F
110.7 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Desert Edge profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share, Household income, Cost of living. Poverty rateBachelor's+ shareHousehold incomeCost of living 17 F
Desert Edge profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Poverty rate: 32/100 (F) · 12.0%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 30/100 (F) · 18.6%
  • Household income: 7/100 (F) · $40,089
  • Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index

How does Desert Edge compare to other US cities?

Where Desert Edge sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 8% higher than other cities
Home value 1% pricier than other cities
Median rent 88% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Desert Edge against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

California-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Desert Edge near the bottom of California's cities

Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Desert Edge ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Desert Edge only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#1,284 of 1,338
4th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#1,338 of 1,343
0th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#398 of 1,450
72nd percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#940 of 1,458
35th percentile in California
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within California only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

8thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

8th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Desert Edge's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$56,900 Among the most affordable more affordable than 99% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). This entry sits in this band. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Above this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Desert Edge $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Desert Edge's home-value-to-income ratio: 1.4×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#294 of 15,516
More affordable than 98% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#289 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 1.4×, Desert Edge sits in the affordable band: national rank #294 of 15,516 and #289 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$40,089 Desert Edge, CA median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Desert Edge, CA Desert Edge, CA's median household income ($40,089) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Desert Edge, CA-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Desert Edge, CA median $40,089/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Desert Edge, CA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Desert Edge, CA.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 18.6%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 12.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 30.0%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
3,642
Median Income
$40,089
Median Home Value
$56,900
Median Age
63.7
Poverty Rate
12.0%
Labor force participation
30.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
18.6%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
62.4%
Carpool
9.2%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
8.2%
Work from Home
20.2%

Based on 989 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

California statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $275

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across California at $275 (electricity about $150 , water and sewer about $70 ).

These are California statewide averages, not a meter reading for Desert Edge. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

California's BEA cost-of-living index is 110.7 (Well Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Desert Edge is $2,053/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to California statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 / 100 (Very High).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a California statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Desert Edge sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Desert Edge compares to similar-size California cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Desert Edge (this city) 3,642 $40,089
Crockett 3,642 $102,400
Lake Isabella 3,654 $26,763
Rollingwood 3,623 $96,808
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

Browse all city profiles → · Explore city rankings →

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →

Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Share or download this profile