Is Twentynine Palms, CA a Good Place to Live?
Twentynine Palms is a small city of 28,006 in California, with a median household income of $51,392 and a 6.3% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 108 (US average = 100), which is 8% above the national average.
Strengths: Twentynine Palms stands out for below-average home prices, lower-than-average crime, short average commutes.
Trade-offs: Potential downsides include an elevated unemployment rate. Whether Twentynine Palms is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Twentynine Palms city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 107.9Twentynine Palms's overall cost of living index is 107.9, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Twentynine Palms costs roughly 8% more than the average American city.
| Metric | Twentynine Palms, CA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $214,500 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,196 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 33.9% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $51,392 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Safer than AverageTwentynine Palms's violent crime rate is 417.6 per 100,000 residents — 10% higher than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Twentynine Palms is served primarily by Morongo Unified. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20.9:1 (slightly above the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Twentynine Palms, CA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Morongo Unified | — |
| Elementary Schools | 11 | — |
| Middle Schools | 2 | — |
| High Schools | 3 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 20.9:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 26.1% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 92.5% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Twentynine Palms sees average highs of 63.3°F in January and 104.0°F in July, with 4.8 inches of annual precipitation and 0.8 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Twentynine Palms, CA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 63.3°F |
| Average High — July | 104.0°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 4.8" |
| Annual Snowfall | 0.8" |
Demographics
| Metric | Twentynine Palms, CA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 28,006 | — |
| Median Age | 24.5 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 6.3% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 14.7 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 61.6% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 8.7% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 15.3% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 3.2% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 26.4% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 6.2% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Twentynine Palms
Twentynine Palms, CA is covered by 2 ZIP codes: