The population of Palm Springs is approximately 83,666. However, that number isn't representative of the total population of the city. In the last year, the city's population was down by about two thousand two hundred. This decrease is the result of a number of factors. For example, Palm Springs's median income is $1,074, and the percentage of residents who are rent burdened is 54.6%. This figure is well above the national and Coachella Valley averages. The city has a high rate of homeownership with 60.6% of households being owners.
The city was originally called Se-Khi by Cahuilla Indians. In 1876, the area was part of the Agua Caliente Reservation, a land grant to the Southern Pacific Railroad. This gave the railroad an incentive to run rail lines through the Sonoran Desert. During the early twentieth century, the city's population was approximately 44,552 people. This represents an average of 181.1 per square mile.
In the most recent census, the population of Palm Springs was estimated at 50,905 households. That represents a 99.4% occupancy rate. Of this number, only 32 people were institutionalized and the rest lived in non-institutionalized group quarters. The overall population was largely composed of families with children. And the median income was $7,940, indicating that Palm Springs has a relatively high rate of poverty.