State
County
Land Area
106.1 sq mi
Density
1,441.6/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
-0.70%
Growth Since 2010
0.11%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Palmdale is a city located in California. With a 2020 population of 152,921, it is the 35th largest city in California and the 171st largest city in the United States. Palmdale is currently declining at a rate of -0.70% annually but its population has increased by 0.11% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 152,750 in 2010. Palmdale reached it's highest population of 156,988 in 2015. Spanning over 106 miles, Palmdale has a population density of 1,442 people per square mile.
The average household income in Palmdale is $78,339 with a poverty rate of 15.56%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,319 per month, and the median house value is $280,000. The median age in Palmdale is 32 years, 30.6 years for males, and 33.4 years for females. For every 100 females there are 95.7 males.
The city of Palmdale sits in the north of Los Angeles County, California, separated from the city of Los Angeles to the south by the San Gabriel Mountains. It's the second largest city in Los Angeles County by land area and the 33rd most populous city in California.
About one-quarter of people in Palmdale were born outside the country. The city of Palmdale has a predominantly Hispanic/Latino demographic. Due to it being one of the last affordable areas for new single-family homes in Los Angeles County, many people of color on the lower end of the economic scale were able to purchase property, shifting the racial demographic.
Due to racial tensions in the area, minorities were redlined into the Sun Village commune, Antelope Valley’s first African-American commune, which was founded in 1938. Today, however, African-Americans are no longer the majority of Sun Village’s roughly 12,000 residents.
For the last 25 years, Palmdale has been rated as one of the top 25 fastest growing U.S. cities. Affordable housing developments in the 1980s and 1990s caused dramatic spikes in the population, jumping from 12,227 in 1980 to 68,842 in 1990 (a rise of 18.82%) and then to 116,670 in 2000. This has stayed relatively level since 2010.
Europeans, mainly of German and Swiss descent, first descended upon the area in 1886, naming the village “Palmenthal.” A trade route in the Antelope Valley had already existed for an estimated 11,000 years for Native Americans traveling from New Mexico and Arizona to California’s coast. The village of Palmenthal was officially established in June of 1888.
After the settlers decided to relocate slightly due to the difficult desert climate and drought, the name Palmdale was adopted.
Until the start of WWII, agriculture was the predominant industry for Palmdale. In 1953, Lockheed opened a facility in the city. The aerospace industry became the city's top employment source and has remained as such ever since.
The township of Palmdale officially became the city of Palmdale in August of 1962, becoming the first in the Antelope Valley to incorporate. In 2009, Palmdale became a charter city.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Palmdale was:
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 72,016 | 46.08% |
Some Other Race | 45,516 | 29.12% |
Black or African American | 20,569 | 13.16% |
Two or More Races | 7,821 | 5.00% |
Asian | 7,321 | 4.68% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 2,453 | 1.57% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 597 | 0.38% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 43,404 | 3.6 | 65.3 |
Married | 23,372 | 4.2 | 76.8 |
Non Family | 8,765 | 1.34 | 56.8 |
Female | 8,094 | 4.09 | 43.7 |
Male | 3,173 | 4.09 | 59.2 |
4.01
Average Family Size
3.6
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 11,329 | 12.20% |
9th to 12th Grade | 12,225 | 13.16% |
High School Graduate | 24,641 | 26.53% |
Some College | 23,126 | 24.90% |
Associates Degree | 7,155 | 7.70% |
Bachelors Degree | 10,125 | 10.90% |
Graduate Degree | 4,275 | 4.60% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 51,055 | 31,841 | 3,932 |
Other Race | 25,473 | 14,826 | 1,411 |
White | 23,498 | 21,279 | 5,520 |
Black | 11,569 | 10,192 | 2,417 |
Asian | 5,397 | 4,876 | 2,298 |
Multiple Races | 2,823 | 2,314 | 599 |
Native American | 1,224 | 728 | 101 |
Islander | 195 | 143 | 21 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 90.56%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 42.58%.
$37,094
Average Earnings
$45,132
Average Male
$29,586
Average Female
55.65% of Palmdale residents speak only English, while 44.35% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 39.24% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 93,671 | 14,019 | 14.97% |
Other | 45,202 | 7,172 | 15.87% |
Black | 20,316 | 5,510 | 27.12% |
White | 31,196 | 2,957 | 9.48% |
Multiple | 7,739 | 1,311 | 16.94% |
Native | 2,402 | 825 | 34.35% |
Asian | 7,310 | 784 | 10.73% |
Islander | 597 | 205 | 34.34% |
15.56%
Overall Poverty Rate
13.06%
Male Poverty Rate
17.94%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Palmdale is Native, with 34.35% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Palmdale is White, with 9.48% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.29%. Among those working part-time, it was 15.13%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 21.57%.
45.2%
Overall Marriage Rate
47.3%
Male Marriage Rate
43.3%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 3,619 | 6.79% |
Hispanic | 1,364 | 2.20% |
Black | 1,195 | 8.42% |
Other | 457 | 1.48% |
2 or More | 216 | 6.14% |
Asian | 125 | 2.17% |
Indian | 17 | 1.15% |
8.35%
Veteran Poverty Rate
28.89%
Veteran Disability Rate
59.7%
Labor Force Participation
54.9%
Employment Rate
8%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
75.29%
Native Born
24.71%
Foreign Born
10.76%
Non Citizen
13.95%
Naturalized
75.29% of Palmdale residents were born in the United States, with 63.50% having been born in California. 10.76% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 152,921 | -1,079 | -0.70% |
2020 | 154,000 | -1,079 | -0.70% |
2019 | 155,079 | -1,079 | -0.69% |
2018 | 156,158 | -400 | -0.26% |
2017 | 156,558 | -181 | -0.12% |
2016 | 156,739 | -249 | -0.16% |
2015 | 156,988 | 218 | 0.14% |
2014 | 156,770 | 275 | 0.18% |
2013 | 156,495 | 1,634 | 1.06% |
2012 | 154,861 | 865 | 0.56% |
2011 | 153,996 | 1,060 | 0.69% |
2010 | 152,936 | 36,266 | 2.74% |
2000 | 116,670 | 47,828 | 5.42% |
1990 | 68,842 | 56,565 | 18.82% |
1980 | 12,277 | 3,766 | 3.73% |
1970 | 8,511 | -3,011 | -2.98% |
1960 | 11,522 | 10,622 | 13.60% |
1940 | 900 | 0.00% |