What it's like to live in Blythe
Blythe is a small city in California with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Blythe deals with county unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- Shrinking population
How Blythe compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Blythe
Based on Blythe's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,876
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $37,520 a year
- 50% of Blythe renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$45,000
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $22,500
- Homes cost 4.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 34% below US
$938/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $938 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $225,000. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $225,000 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.6% county unemployment
Unemployment in Riverside County is 5.6%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Riverside County (county-wide)
Safety▲ 55% above US
511 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 500/100k · Blythe Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 27% below US
19 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 19 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 108°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 41°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 76% below US
9% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 22:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Joshua Tree National Park (73 miles away).
Bottom line
Blythe's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are county unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($938/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up, anyone who doesn't drive, and people who struggle with heat.
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