Palm Springs, CA

Palm Springs’ city sales tax rate is 9.25% (CDTFA^[1]). Riverside County’s general secured-property-tax system is governed by California law and the county collects and bills taxes after the assessor sets assessed value, with the first installment due November 1 and the second due February 1 (Riverside County Treasurer-Tax Collector^[2]). California’s state income tax applies to residents statewide, and BLS shows the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro CPI all-items index running 3.6% over 12 months in September 2026, which is the proper metro-level inflation figure for this area (BLS^[3]).

Palm Springs’ main acute-care hospital is Desert Regional Medical Center at 1150 North Indian Canyon Drive, and CMS Care Compare is the federal source for hospital-quality comparison (Medicare.gov^[4]). Publicly available hospital directories identify Desert Regional as a short-term acute-care hospital with emergency services and 369 staffed beds, and the broader area also relies on Eisenhower Health for higher-acuity and specialist care (AHD^[5]). The local healthcare picture is solid for day-to-day needs, but retirees who want highly specialized tertiary care may still travel into the wider Coachella Valley or Inland Empire.

Palm Springs is known for over 300 days of sunshine annually, with summer temperatures from June through September regularly topping 100°F and winter daytime weather generally in the 50s to 60s (Homes.com^[6]). A public-facing local source also describes the area as having roughly 0 inches of snow and winter lows around 46°F, underscoring how mild the cool season is compared with the heat of late spring through early fall (Annuities.net^[7]). For retirees, the comfort sweet spot is typically late fall through early spring, when outdoor recreation is most pleasant.

Palm Springs city FBI Crime Data Explorer tables with violent and property crime rates are not given here. A local guide does say Palm Springs has seen an 18% decrease in property-related crime and a 3% increase in violent crime over the past decade, but that is not a substitute for direct FBI reporting (Homes.com^[6]). Because FBI participation and post-2021 reporting are incomplete, the safe takeaway is that a proper city-vs-national comparison still needs the specific FBI table for Palm Springs or, if unavailable, a clearly identified county or state figure from the agency.

Palm Springs homes currently show a median list price of $683,833 and median days to pending of 72 days on Zillow, while Realtor reports a median listing home price of $650,000 and median days on market of 84 days (Zillow^[8]) (Realtor.com^[9]). The metro-wide FHFA House Price Index for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA was up 0.83% year over year in 2026 Q2, which suggests prices are still rising modestly at the metro level rather than falling sharply (FHFA HPI Summary Tables^[10]). Palm Springs also has an established 55+ presence, including Del Webb communities in the area and multiple active-adult options advertised locally, which matters for retiree demand and resale appeal (Del Webb Palm Springs^[11]) (55+ Active Adult Communities^[12]).

Palm Springs International Airport is the city’s commercial-service airport and the only commercial service airport in the Coachella Valley (Homes.com^[6]). The airport is about 4 miles from the city center in local area references, and the airport’s value for retirees is that it avoids the long drives typical of inland desert markets (REAIGENT7^[13]). The area has service to more than 300 global cities through one-stop connections, and Ontario International is the busier alternate airport about 72 miles away. Homes.com^[6]

The local market is built for golf and outdoors, with Palm Springs International Airport nearby and a retiree-oriented desert lifestyle centered on resort recreation (Homes.com^[6]). There are numerous courses within 30 minutes across Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, and Palm Desert, but an authoritative course-count table or tee-sheet pricing is not given here. Outside golf, the city’s walkable downtown and warm winter weather support hiking, dining, and general outdoor recreation (City of Palm Springs^[14]).

The Census Bureau’s QuickFacts page reports Palm Springs at 44,575 people in 2020 and 33.8% age 65 and over, which is a strong retiree concentration by any standard (U.S. Census Bureau^[15]). A city planning source says the downtown core on Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive is intended to support slower traffic speeds and more frequent pedestrian crossings, reinforcing a walkable urban center (City of Palm Springs^[14]). Local demographic summaries also put the median age around 56 to 58.5, which aligns with the city’s retirement-friendly profile (City of Palm Springs^[16]).

Palm Springs’ FEMA National Risk Index county page and EPA AirNow page are not given here. A local retirement source says the county carries a Very High overall natural-disaster risk rating, with summers near 106°F and essentially no snow, which is consistent with a high-heat, high-exposure desert setting (Annuities.net^[7]). For exact FEMA and EPA figures, the correct geography would be Riverside County, since FEMA publishes NRI at the county level.