| | Arcata, CA | Joshua Tree, CA | United States |
| Population | 19,038 | 7,398 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 48.6% | 54.1% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 51.4% | 45.9% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 26.9 | 40.2 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 17,685 | 7,719 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 16,651 | 4,207 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 15,197 | 3,898 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 8.4% | 72.8% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 18.7% | 86.5% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 2,031.6 | 205.0 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 9.4 | 36.1 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 2.1 | 0.0 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Arcata, CA | Joshua Tree, CA | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 2.5% | 5.8% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 2.0% | 4.2% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 3.8% | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 2.8% | 4.4% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 17.6% | 3.4% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 16.5% | 6.0% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 17.0% | 15.5% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 12.2% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 6.2% | 12.4% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 3.9% | 5.2% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 4.1% | 8.5% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 10.0% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 1.8% | 5.1% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 1.3% | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Arcata, CA | Joshua Tree, CA | United States |
| White | 69.3% | 71.0% | 59.4% |
| Black | 1.8% | 0.9% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 3.7% | 1.0% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Other | 1.5% | 0.9% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 7.5% | 2.4% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 14.4% | 23.3% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Arcata, CA | Joshua Tree, CA | United States |
| Married Population | 21.9% | 39.0% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 20.1% | 38.4% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 1.8% | 0.6% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 78.1% | 61.0% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 66.0% | 37.1% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 8.8% | 17.3% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 3.2% | 6.6% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.45 | 2.50 | 2.60 |
| Households | 7,081 | 2,904 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 2,696 | 1,565 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 22.6% | 29.0% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 39.1% | 40.2% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 4,385 | 1,339 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 21.0% | 18.9% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 17.4% | 11.9% | 10.8% |