What it's like to live in Twentynine Palms
Twentynine Palms is a small city in California with 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. Twentynine Palms deals with 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
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Air quality concerns
- Shrinking population
- High student-teacher ratio
How Twentynine Palms compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Twentynine Palms
Based on Twentynine Palms's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,704
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $54,080 a year
- 49% of Twentynine Palms renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$53,640
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $26,820
- Homes cost 4.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,352/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,352 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $268,200. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $268,200 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 60% above US
6.9% unemployment
Unemployment here is 6.9%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 25% above US
412 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 820/100k · Twentynine Palms Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 39% below US
16 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 15.9 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 102°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 42°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▼ 27% below US
26% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 26%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 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 (21 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Twentynine Palms's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and commutes that run shorter than most cities; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,352/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and people who struggle with heat.
See all the data for Twentynine Palms →·All California cities →
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