2025 Compare Cities Economy:
San Rafael, CA vs Palm Desert, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Palm Desert, is 35% less than it is in San Rafael and is 2% below the National Average.
- San Rafael unemployment rate is 4.7%.
- Palm Desert unemployment rate is 6.0%.
 San Rafael, CAPalm Desert, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock6.0%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.2%1.6%
 Future Job Growth33.1%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes9.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$61,962  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$67,514$69,021
 Family Median Income$135,862  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 San Rafael, CAPalm Desert, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock11.8%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K2.6%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock8.0%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K4.5%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.0%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.1%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock8.3%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.0%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.6%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K10.3%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock11.5%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 San Rafael, CAPalm Desert, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance20.2%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock2.8%6.5%
 Community, social services1.8%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.5%1.2%
 Education, library5.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock4.4%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.2%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.1%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock9.6%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.7%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.2%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support19.7%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.2%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair7.0%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock4.7%13.1%
Reviews for San Rafael    7 Reviews

Over 13 years ago

San Rafael is only 30 minutes from downtown San Francisco, but the weather is completely different. It's sunny most of the year, including in the summer when the city  More

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Over 15 years ago

I feal very safe in this town. I think getting stopped for talking on your cell phone while driving is a big deal here. Thats about all I can  More

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Over 17 years ago

Cost of living too high. Unfriendly  More

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Reviews for Palm Desert    14 Reviews

Over 4 years ago

Palm Desert, CA is full of rude people. One woman in a long sleeved pink shirt is being extremely rude and mocking people for no reason at a neighborhood Walmart in Palm  More

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Palm Desert is clean, upscale and beautiful. The views of the Santa Rosa Mountains bright blue sky and green expanses of golf course fairways, swimming pools and  More

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I made the mistake of moving here after a short vacation to be closer to family. Biggest mistake of my life! This is not the place to live if health is important to you.  More

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