The Coachella Valley's population is growing and diversifyingbut not as quicklyas Riverside County as a whole, census data released this week show.
The valley'snine cities grew by 23,557 people from 2010 to 2020, an increase of about 6.8% to a total population of 370,135.
Riverside County saw its population rise over the same decade by 10%, to 2.4 million.
Growth in the desert has been uneven. Desert Hot Springs was the fastest-growing, seeing its population leap 25.3% to32,512 in 2020, upfrom 25,938 in 2010. Indio added the most residents— 13,101 — making it the second-fastest-growing municipality in the area,bringing the city's population to 89,137.
In contrast,Palm Springs, La Quintaand Cathedral City grew by just 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.6%, respectively, over the same time period, according tothe Census Bureau.
Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells shrunk: Rancho Mirage lost 219 people, taking its number of residents to 16,999, a drop of 1.3%. Indian Wells saw the biggest contraction of any valley city, losing 4.1% of its residents—a decline of 201 people.
Palm Desert and Coachella posted modest gains: Palm Desert expanded by 5.6% andCoachella grew by 3%, according to the Census Bureau.
The accuracy of the count has been called into question by at least one local official.
Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez said he believeshis city'spopulation was "definitely undercounted."
"We had a presidentthat wassaying, 'We're going to ask you for your immigration status.' He asked that that question be added (to the census).I know that that created some concern," Hernandezsaid, who added that the pandemic also put a damper on campaigns to encourage participation.
In 2020, 39% of residents across the nine cities were white and non-Hispanic. In 2010, that figure was 43%.The Coachella Valley is the only place in the county with some census tracts that are more than 80% white.
In Riverside County as a whole, 32.5% of residents arewhite and non-Hispanic, according to the 2020 Census.
U.S. Census officials noted in a press conference Thursday thatthe country experienced unprecedented multiracial population growth over the past decade, with 33.8 million people reporting being more than one race. Many valley cities sawincreases in those identifying as more than one race.
To explore population data for your area — and any other city in the United States — visithttps://data.desertsun.com/and click on "Census 2020."
Desert Hot Springs reaches a milestone
Desert Hot Springs has struggled to bring in major chains in the past due to its smallerpopulation, making this latest census count acause for celebration,Mayor Scott Matas said this week.
"I am very happy to see us pass 30,000," Matas said. "That's what we've always been focused on to try to bring retailers and businesses into the community. That's going to help us in the future with our economic development."
The new data shows that Desert Hot Springs has grown at an even faster rate than previously estimated. The California Department of Finance reported an estimated population of30,086 for Desert Hot Springs as of January2021 — 2,444 fewer people than what the census found.
Desert Hot Springs' new status asthe fastest-growing city in the Coachella Valley is thanks to its lowerhousing costs, according to Matas.
"You go 15 minutes over the freeway and you're spending half a million dollars on a home that you can buy for $350,000 here —it just comes down to affordability," he said.But, he added, residents arestill close to the amenities those other cities have, like more shopping.
Demand for housing in Desert Hot Springs recently kickstarted the long-dormant Skyborne community on the west side of the city. Homebuilder Lennarfinalized a deal earlier this year to build homes on 187 lots at Skyborne.
As its population has increased, the city has also become more diverse. The number of white residents has decreased over the past decade while the number of people identifying asBlack, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, two or more races, or other has increased.
The number of white residents dropped from 15,053 in 2010 to 11,115 in 2020.About 34.2% of Desert Hot Springs residents identified as white in the 2020 census, down from 58% in 2010.
The number of Black residents grew by 23.6%, from 2,133 in 2010 to 2,636 in 2020, making up about 8% of the city's total population.
The city's Asian population has also increased by 16.3%, from 675 people in 2010 to 785 in 2020. Residents identifying as American Indian saw a large percentage increase of 119%, from 357 individuals in 2010 to 783 in 2020.
The number of people who marked "two or more races" while filling out their 2020 Census form grew by 326.9% to 5,520 people, up from 1,293 in 2010.The number of people marking "other" also grew by 83.1%, with 11,614 people, or 35.7% of the population,marking "other" in Desert Hot Springs.
The Census Bureau counts races, such as Blacks and Asians, apart from ethnicity, where the choiceis either Hispanic/Latino, or not.Hispanic or Latino residents make up 61.2% of the Desert Hot Springspopulation, with an increase of 45.7% from 13,646 people in 2010 to 19,887 in 2020.
Matas said the city's increasingly diverse populationwill play a role in what types of services and retail the city should work on attracting.
"If you have a large Hispanic/Latino population, or a largeAfrican Americanpopulation, they need services that fill their needs, which can go anywhere from social services to retail services like 'I want to buy these types of goods here in the city,'" Matas said.
To figure out what these needs are, the city could get feedback by holding a town hall open to community members,Matas added.
"We also want to know if they're driving to get their goods, are they needing to drive 30, 40 minutes to get things that we could instead try to attract to our cities? The makeup of your community is going to push the retail services and social services that you provide in the future," he said.
Indio just shy of 90,000 residents
Indio's population rose 17% in the past decade.
For several years, the city has been popularly thought of as the fastest-growing municipalityin the area, butMayor Pro Tem Waymond Fermon was nonchalant about the "dethroning" of Indio as the valley city with the fastest growth.
"That's a 10-year count. I think that whole thing with Indio being the fastest-growing city started about five years ago, maybe," Fermon said.
Fermon said he and other city leaders areprimarilyfocused on improvingthe quality of life for existing residents, rather than gaining more.
"While we welcome new residents ... we're more focused on affordable housing, livable wages and employment,a rebounding economy after the pandemic and the overall quality of life ofour residents, versus growing our numbers," he said.
Indio remains the most populous city in the area, and 69% of its population identifies as Latino or Hispanic.
The City of Festivals' census data aligned with the rest of the country'sin that thewhite population saw a significant drop: For Indio, the number of residents who identifyas white fell33%; nationally, theUnited Statessaw an8.6% drop, the first such decline on record.
Whites having fewer babies is one possible explanationfor the dip.Whites also make up a larger share of older people.
Like many jurisdictions, Indio saw a significant increase in people who identify as being of two or more races.
About 35% of Indio residents identify as whitewhile 38% identify as "other" and 21% say they are of two or more races. Those who identify as Black made up 2.3% of Indio's population while those who identify as Asian were 2.6% and Pacific Islanders were 0.1%.
The jump in the number of Indio residentswho identify as being of two or more raceswas 608%—from 2,613 a decade ago to 18,500 —and the number ofresidents whoidentify as American Indian saw an increase of97%— from 741to 1,457.
Fermon questioned whether the pandemic might have affected the count.
"I think some of that comes from a number of different factors. One is COVID-19, with the counting process.Indio has a large population of Caucasian senior citizens who may not have the ability to be counted," he said. "Another factor is that wehave a large population of seasonal residents."
He saidhe volunteered to get as manyIndio residents as possible to participate in 2020, but it wasdifficult to get everyone counted.
Coachella growth slower thanpredictions
The 2020 Census counted41,941 people living in Coachella,a 3%increasefrom the 40,704people counted in the 2010 Census. The latestresults are below census estimates fromJuly 2019, which predicted Coachella had 45,743 residents.The California Department of Finance projected that Coachella's population was47,825 in January 2021.
Coachella's mayor said that he believed then-President Donald Trump's pushto add a question about immigration status wasn't the only factor that led to an undercount.
"We struggled, everybody struggled, to come up with a campaign. We started doing these census caravans, telling people to participate, buteverybody stay in their car," he said.
While the populationjump was not as large as anticipated, there were bigchanges when looking at racial demographics.
The number of people who listed their race as "other" — meaning not white, Black, Asian, American Indian, Pacific Islander or "two or more races" — jumped significantly. In the 2010 survey,19,154 identified as "other" but in 2020 the number rose to23,379 — an increase of 22%.
The number of people identifying as "two or more races"leaped 835%, from1,064in 2010 to9,950people in 2020.There was also an increase of201% in the city's American Indian population, from290 to874 people.
The number of people identifying as white fell by more than half—from19,576 to 7,261 in the last decade.
Meanwhile, the Latino or Hispanic demographicsteadily remained the city's largest ethnic group, with40,421 residents — 96.4% of the population —identifying as such.
Hernandez believes that in Coachella,Latinos are becoming "more educatedabout how to identify."
"It isn'tuntil you see the ethnicity (category) that Latinos and Hispanics are included, right? Ithink when it comes to race, I think Latinos are starting to saythat we are, orcould be, both, like what themestizois, which is a little Spanish and Indian," he said.Latinos, he added, "do not typically fit in categories of white, Black, Indian, Asian or Pacific Islander," provided in the census.
Palm Springs adds just 23 people
The 2020 Census counted 44,575 people in Palm Springs, up slightly from the 44,552 people identified in the 2010 Census. The official 2020 Census population is below previous estimates. The Census reportedan estimated population of 48,518 people as of July 2019,andthe California Department of Finance estimated a population of47,754 peopleas of January 2021.
Palm Springs City Manager Justin Clifton said a "convergence of factors" could have contributed to the difference between earlier projections and the census data, though he noted that it's hard to say exactly what impacted the city's population numbers.
Because the city has a lot ofsecond homeowners and homeowners who rent out their properties, knowing how many consider Palm Springs their primary residence is difficult, Clifton said.
"There's also the dynamics of the Zoom economy, where all of a sudden people were able to work remotely, and it's hard to say whether that had a net positive or negative impacton population," he continued.
The city isn't so much concerned about its growth and instead, Clifton said, uses census data to ensure it's getting its fair share of resources—things like grants and federal funding that are tied to population.
Clifton said the city will use this demographic information and other data points regardingage, quality of life, employment opportunities, and educational outcomes to identify programs that would best serve residents.
"It's not like the growth in and of itself has value;it is much more about whether the people who have chosen to live here are thriving," said Clifton.
While population numbers have remained steady, the racial and ethnic makeup of Palm Springs has changed over the past decade. About 66% of Palm Springs residents identified as white in the 2020 Census, down from about 75% in 2010. The number of white residents in the city decreased by about 12%, from 33,720 in 2010 to 29,711 in 2020.
Meanwhile, the city's Black population decreased by 2.1%, from 1,982 individuals in 2010 to 1,940 individuals in 2020.
Hispanic or Latino residents make up 24.8% of the city's population with a total of 11,054 residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino, a 2.1% decrease from 2010.
While these categories saw decreases, the number of people who marked two or more races while filling out their 2020 Census form grew by 224.9% to 4,522 people, up from 1,392 people in 2010. The number of people marking "other" also grew by 15.7%, with 5,728 people choosing "other" in Palm Springs.
Cathedral City becomes more Latino
Cathedral City's population increased by 293 residents in the last decade for a total of51,493 residents in 2020,according to the Census Bureau.
That isa0.6% increase from 2010's population, which was51,200 — and showed slower growth than anticipated. In 2019, the Census Bureau gave an estimate of55,007 residents in Cathedral City. TheCalifornia Department of Finance estimated a population of53,973 as of January 2021.
The most significantshift pertained to the city'sracial and ethnicmakeup.
The biggest population drop was among white residents, which decreased 41.6%, from32,537 in 2010 to19,009 in 2020. White residents made up36.9% of the city's population in 2020 — down from 63.5% in2010.
The Black population decreased as wellby 6.8% between 2010 and 2020. There were 1,252 Black residents in 2020, compared to 1,344 in 2010. Black residents made up 2.4% of thecity's 2020 population, the Census Bureau said.
Hispanic or Latino residents made up 60% of the city's population in 2020,for a total of30,893. That is a 2.7% increase from 2010, when there were 30,085 Hispanic or Latino residents.
Individuals who marked two or more races on their 2020 Censusincreased 320% over the last decade.There were 9,061 residents who identified with two or more races in the city in 2020, compared to2,154 in 2010. People of two or more races made up17.6% of Cathedral City's 2020 population.
People identifying as American Indian also increased83.7% between 2010 and 2020.There were540 American Indians in Cathedral City in 2010 and992 in 2020. The group made up1.9% of Cathedral City's population in 2020.
City ManagerCharlie McClendon said Thursday's numbers were "not surprising" to him.
"We knew the racial and ethnic diversity of our community was increasing," he said.
He also suspects the city had a "greater population growth in 2020 and 2021 as we have had a new housing boom over the last two years. Most of those new residents probablymoved in after Census Day," which was April 1, 2020.
Palm Desert is third-fastest-growing city
In the mid-valley, Palm Desert was the only city to notch significant growth. Over 2,700 new residents came to Palm Desert over the last decade, bringing the city's total population to more than 51,000.
This 5.6% jump from 2010 represented the third-highest rate of overall population growth among Coachella Valley cities, behindDesert Hot Springs and Indio.
However, the 51,163 population reported by the Census Bureau is below previous estimates given for Palm Desert. The Census Bureau had estimated the city's population at 53,275 in 2019. The California Department of Finance estimated it at 53,892in January 2021.
White residents still make up the largest racial group in Palm Desert by a wide margin. They comprise just under 67% of the city's population, according to the 2020 Census,down from 82.5% in 2010.
As for ethnicity, the number of Hispanic or Latino residents grew by 20% in the last decade, adding slightly under 2,300 new individuals. They currently comprise 26% of Palm Desert's population, according to the 2020 Census.
After whites, the two other largest racial groups in the city, according tothe census, are people who identified as two or moreraces and otherraces.Each category makes up around roughly 12% of the city's population.
The population of white residents in Palm Desert fell by more than 12% overthe last 10 years, accordingto 2020Census data, amounting to roughly 4,800 fewer white individuals.All other racial groups in the city grew, leading to a net population increase of 5.6%.
People identifying as two or moreraces saw the largest jump, adding more than 4,600 individuals for a 378% increase in that category. "Other" unspecified races saw the second-largest increase by total number of new residents added, with over 1,734 additional residents selecting that category.
People identifying as American Indiansaw the second-largest proportional change of any group, growing by 70%, although they added a relatively small 175 new residents to Palm Desert over the last decade. American Indians make up less than 1% of the city'spopulation.
There were 1,022 Black residents (2%) and2,440 Asian residents (4.8%) in 2020, according to the Census Bureau.
Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells each lose about 200 people
Rancho Mirage experienced a slight decrease in its population over the past decade, losing 219 residents since the 2010 Census. There were17,218 residents in 2010, and the 2020 Census reported 16,999 residents, a1.3% decrease.
The2020 population is also slightly below previous estimates. The Census Bureau reportedanestimated population of 18,528 residents in July 2019,andtheCalifornia Department of Finance estimated a population of18,799 residentsinJanuary 2021.
As its overall population decreased, Rancho Mirage'sracial and ethnic makeup changed.
White residents make up the majority of the population, at79.1% with13,445 people.However, that number is down11.9% from 2010, when white residents made up88.7% of the population. The white population number in 2010 was15,267.
The American Indian population also dropped 13.8% in 10 years, from 940 in 2010 to 810 in 2020. American Indians made up 0.5% of the city's population in 2010 and 2020.
Residents who marked two or more races grew by 289.9% to1,318 residents, compared to 338 in 2010. Those residents made up7.8% of Rancho Mirage's 2020 population. Individuals who marked other as their race also grew by75.9%, with1,052 in 2020. Those residents made up6.2% of the 2020 population.
The Pacific Islander populationgrew by 100%, from 14 in 2010 to 28 in 2020.
The Hispanic or Latino population made up13.3% of the city's population in 2020, for a total of2,260.That is a 15.1% increase from 2010, when there were1,964 Hispanic or Latino residents.
The city issued a statement saying: "The City of Rancho Mirage welcomed the 2020 Census data that confirmed the visible growth in diversity being experienced here and in other valley cities in the past decade."
The story was similar in Indian Wells, the smallest of the nine cities in the valley, but which has similar age demographics to Rancho Mirage where populations skew older.
Indian Wells saw its population dip by 4.1% from 2010 to 2020 asthe census counted 4,757 people in Indian Wells last year, down 201 people tallied in the 2010 survey.The total population comes in well below other recent estimates: The California Department of Finance estimated a population of 5,428 people as of January 2021.
Indian Wells remainslargelywhite, the latest census data show, with 88.2%, or 4,195, of its population identifying as such. However, that marked a drop from 2010, when the town’s white population was counted at 4,721, or 95.2% of its overall population.
In the 2020 Census, Hispanic or Latino residents made up 6.5% of the town’s population, up from 4.2% in 2010. The jump to 310 from 209 a decade ago marked a 48.3% increase in Indian Wells' Hispanic population.
The Black population of Indian Wells, which made up less than 1% of its population in both the 2010 and 2020 censuses, had a small uptick, upto 38 people from 29.
The city'sNative American population remained fairly level, accounting for 0.4% of its population in both 2010 and 2020. The number of Native American people in Indian Wells dropped by one person, from 20 to 19.
The number of people in Indian Wells who marked two or more races jumped significantly, with 254 identifying as such in the 2020 data. About a fifth of that – just 51 residents –marked two or more races in the 2010 Census.
La Quinta adds just 91 residents, below estimates
La Quinta recorded modest 0.2% population growth over the last decade, according to theCensus Bureau, netting just91 additionalresidents,bringing the city's total population to37,558.
The 2020 Census results are a significant departure from previous population estimates for the city. The U.S. Census Bureau had estimated La Quinta's population at41,748 in 2019, while the California Department of Finance estimated it to be41,247in January.
White people are still the majority racial group in La Quinta by a wide margin, according to census data, comprising just under 63% of the city's total population.
Nevertheless, the city recordeda net decline of nearly 6,000 white individuals since 2010, according tocensus data, amounting to one-fifth of La Quinta's total white residents. The numbers of all other racial groups in the city grew over the last 10 years.
People identifying as "two or more" races saw the largest growth both in relative and absolute terms in the last decade, adding over 3,800 individuals for a 316% increase in that category. They grew from just 3.3% of the city's population in 2010, to 13.5% in 2020, according to census data.
Individuals selecting an"other" unspecifiedrace comprised the second largest number of new La Quinta residents, with more than 1,700 new net entriesin that category. "Other" racial groupsconstituted16.7% of the city's total 2020 population, according to the Census Bureau.
The second-largest proportional change was among Pacific Islanders, who grew by 51%, although this reflected only 21 new individuals in that category. Pacific Islanders made up0.2% of La Quinta's population.
There were 716Black residents (1.9%) and 1,548 Asian residents (4.1%) in 2020, according to the Census Bureau.
As for ethnicity, Hispanic or Latino residents grew by 13.3% to more than 12,800 individuals, amounting to 34% of the city's 2020 population.
Desert Sun reporter Tom Coulter contributed to this report.
