La Palma California City Guide

La Palma’s population in 2010 was about 15,500 people. The current population is estimated to be 15,733. The 10 year growth rate tracks around 1.61%, which breaks down into an annual growth rate of 0.23%.

A reported 8,008 residents are female, which equals 51% of the population. 7,725 residents are male, which accounts for 49% of La Palma’s population.

The median age is 43. About 20% of residents are under 20 years old, while 6% of the population is between 20-24 years old. Another 14% of residents are between 25-34, and 25% are between 35-54. Over 30% of the population is over 55 years old.

47% of La Palma’s population is of Asian descent, and an estimated 38.5% of the city’s population is White alone. Another 5.7% of residents are Black or African American. 4.8% of La Palma’s population is biracial or multiracial.

A reported 54.4% of the population only speaks English. Another 11.1% of residents speak Korean. Meanwhile, 8.7% of the population is fluent in Spanish. 7.2% of residents speak another Indo-European language, while 5.5% speak Chinese, Mandarin, or Cantonese.

35.1% of the city’s population was born outside of the U.S. This percentage is higher than both California’s average and the country’s average.

La Palma contains 3 public elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school campus. La Palma’s high school dropout rate is 8%. This falls under both statewide and U.S. averages. 84% of the city’s students attend public schools, and 16% of students attend private educational facilities.

About 92% of residents 25 years of age or older have a high school diploma or an equivalent degree. Around 19% of La Palma’s population has some college education, while 8.5% of residents have an associate’s degree. An estimated 47.5% of residents have a bachelor’s degree, while 15.8% of the population has a master’s degree or a professional degree.

The median property value in La Palma is estimated to be over $745K, which is impressively high on a national level, but doesn’t rank among the most expensive median property values in California.

60.5% of La Palma real estate varies from $612K-$918K, and another 12.2% of properties range between $918K-$1.2 million. 1.5% of real estate is worth above $1.2 million. Meanwhile, 13.3% of properties range from $490K-$612K, and 7.7% of real estate falls between $367K-$490K. Just 4.8% of real estate is priced under $367K.

Largely between December 2009 and December 2019, La Palma’s home appreciation rates have been some of the highest in the country. During this time period, real estate appreciated 47.96%. This placed La Palma in the top 20% of appreciating residential areas nationally.

However, current appreciation rates are anticipated to annualize at a little over 3%, which shows a marked decrease from previous years.

Out of around 5,000 residential options in the city, 69% are owner-occupied properties, and 31% are rented. It is estimated that 2.6% of residences stand vacant.

54.8% of La Palma’s housing options were built between 1970-1999, and 43.5% of properties were constructed between 1940-1969. Only 1.3% of options were built in 2000 or later years, and just 0.4% of housing options broke ground in or before 1939.

As for the type of properties in the city, 70% of residences are single family detached homes and around 22% are apartment complexes. Condominiums are the 3rd most prevalent type of property in the city, and smaller apartment buildings make up the smallest number of housing options.

To give an idea of size, 60.3% of options have 3-4 bedrooms, and 11.7% have 5 or more bedrooms. Just 19.4% of options have 2 bedroom layouts, which leaves 8.6% of properties with 1 bedroom layouts.

The average salary in La Palma tracks around $74K, and the median household income is almost $99K. The city’s per capita income is roughly $40K.

About 4% of residents earn less than $15K per year. Meanwhile, 6% of the population makes between $15K-$25K annually. Another 10% of residents earn between $25K-$35K, while 16% make between $35K-$50K each year.

Around 18% of the population earns between $50K-$65K each year. Meanwhile, about 24% of residents make between $65K-$100K annually. Another 22% of La Palma residents earn more than $100K annually.

La Palma’s unemployment rate is reportedly 5%, and about 4.9% of the population lives in poverty.