Cold desert
California City, California
Kern County, California · Population 15k · 2,493 ft elevation
Living in California City
California City has a cold desert climate: scorching summers (July highs around 98°F) and chilly winters (January lows around 34°F).
Precipitation is very dry at about 6″ a year, and it sees only a dusting of snow (1″ a season).
Skies are exceptionally sunny (83% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is poor: a median AQI of 70, with about 65 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
California City is an outdoor hub: about 48% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 2,400 ft around town.
California City at a glance
- Population
- 15k
- Elevation
- 2,493 ft
- Average daily high
- 77°F81th percentile
- Average daily low
- 50°F69th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 6″1th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 1″25th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,734 hrs96th percentile
- Median AQI
- 7097th percentile
- Median home value
- $240k45th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,016/mo35th percentile
- Median household income
- $55k23th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.81%37th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 13.3%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 8.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 18.5%
- Homes with broadband
- 92%55th percentile
- Walkability index
- 6.720th percentile
- Average commute
- 47 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 32%26th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 42%
- Violent crime rate
- 518 per 100k89th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 1,420 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9986th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9493th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 24%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 48%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 2,428 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59°F | 34°F | 1.1″ | 0.5″ | 215 hrs |
| Feb | 61°F | 36°F | 1.5″ | 0.1″ | 211 hrs |
| Mar | 67°F | 41°F | 0.8″ | 0.2″ | 279 hrs |
| Apr | 72°F | 46°F | 0.2″ | — | 314 hrs |
| May | 82°F | 54°F | 0.1″ | — | 378 hrs |
| Jun | 92°F | 64°F | 0.0″ | — | 415 hrs |
| Jul | 98°F | 70°F | 0.2″ | — | 414 hrs |
| Aug | 98°F | 68°F | 0.2″ | — | 399 hrs |
| Sep | 90°F | 61°F | 0.1″ | — | 349 hrs |
| Oct | 79°F | 50°F | 0.4″ | — | 304 hrs |
| Nov | 67°F | 39°F | 0.3″ | — | 245 hrs |
| Dec | 57°F | 33°F | 0.8″ | 0.4″ | 211 hrs |
Near California City
- Boron, CA · 2.6k
- Edwards AFB, CA · 2.6k
- Mojave, CA · 4.4k
- Rosamond, CA · 21k
- Tehachapi, CA · 12k
- China Lake Acres, CA · 2.5k
- Ridgecrest, CA · 28k
- Golden Hills, CA · 10k
Largest places in California
- Los Angeles, CA · 3.9M
- San Diego, CA · 1.4M
- San Jose, CA · 990k
- San Francisco, CA · 836k
- Fresno, CA · 544k
- Sacramento, CA · 525k
- Long Beach, CA · 458k
- Oakland, CA · 438k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology