Cold desert
Mojave, California
Kern County, California · Population 4.4k · 2,766 ft elevation
Living in Mojave
Mojave has a cold desert climate: scorching summers (July highs around 97°F) and chilly winters (January lows around 33°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.
There is plenty to explore outdoors around Mojave: about 16% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 3,100 ft around town.
Mojave at a glance
- Population
- 4.4k
- Elevation
- 2,766 ft
- Average daily high
- 76°F78th percentile
- Average daily low
- 49°F66th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 6″1th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 1″25th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,733 hrs96th percentile
- Median AQI
- 7097th percentile
- Median home value
- $204k35th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,154/mo47th percentile
- Median household income
- $51k16th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.47%7th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 13.3%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 8.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 11.7%
- Homes with broadband
- 86%24th percentile
- Walkability index
- 8.041th percentile
- Average commute
- 33 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 3%0th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 22%
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9986th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 8988th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 9%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 16%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 3,051 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°F | 33°F | 1.1″ | 0.5″ | 215 hrs |
| Feb | 60°F | 35°F | 1.5″ | 0.1″ | 212 hrs |
| Mar | 66°F | 40°F | 0.8″ | 0.2″ | 279 hrs |
| Apr | 72°F | 45°F | 0.2″ | — | 314 hrs |
| May | 81°F | 53°F | 0.1″ | — | 377 hrs |
| Jun | 91°F | 64°F | 0.0″ | — | 414 hrs |
| Jul | 97°F | 69°F | 0.2″ | — | 414 hrs |
| Aug | 97°F | 67°F | 0.2″ | — | 398 hrs |
| Sep | 89°F | 61°F | 0.1″ | — | 349 hrs |
| Oct | 78°F | 49°F | 0.4″ | — | 305 hrs |
| Nov | 66°F | 39°F | 0.3″ | — | 246 hrs |
| Dec | 56°F | 32°F | 0.8″ | 0.4″ | 211 hrs |
Near Mojave
- Rosamond, CA · 21k
- Tehachapi, CA · 12k
- Edwards AFB, CA · 2.6k
- Golden Hills, CA · 10k
- California City, CA · 15k
- Lancaster, CA · 170k
- Quartz Hill, CA · 11k
- Bear Valley Springs, CA · 5.8k
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