Census Data for Cathedral City

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Cathedral City a population of 55,241 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Cathedral City a population of 51,200 people.

The city of Cathedral City is located in Riverside County. The 2010 Census gave Riverside County; a population of 2,189,641 people. This means that Cathedral City had 2.34% of the county's total population, making it Riverside's 11th most populous community.

At the same time, California had a population of 37,253,956 people, meaning that Cathedral City had 0.14% of the total population of California - making it the state's 166th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Cathedral City has a total area of 21.76 square miles [56.3 km²]. Of this total, 21.5 square miles [55.7 km²] is land, with the balance (1.18%) being water (0.26 square miles [0.7 km²]).

Riverside County has a land area of 7,206 square miles [18,664.7 km²]. At 21.5 square miles [55.7 km²], Cathedral City has 0.3% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Cathedral City, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Cathedral City reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Cathedral City might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   33° 50' 7"   (or 33.84°)
  • Lon:   -116° 27' 47"   (or -116.46°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Cathedral City had 20,995 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 51,200 people, this averages 2.44 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Cathedral City had a land area of 21.5 square miles [55.7 km²]. This translates to 965 Housing Units per square mile [372.6 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Cathedral City had 17,893 Housing Units, a population of 42,647 people and a land area of 19.18 square miles [49.7 km²]. This gives a density of 2.38 people per Housing Unit and 919 Housing Units per square mile [355.1 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Cathedral City and you need to be careful when comparing numbers between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Riverside County ...

The community of Cathedral City is located in Riverside County<4>.

The county had a population of 2,189,641 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 51,200 people, Cathedral City represented 2.34% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Cathedral City has a population density of 2,353 people per square mile [908 people/km²], Riverside County averages 303.8 people per square mile [117.3 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Riverside County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Cathedral City, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Cathedral City. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Cathedral City or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Cathedral City, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Cathedral City.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   33.835487°   (or 33°50'7" N)
  • Lon:   -116.463103°   (or -116°27'47" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   33.807761°   (or 33°48'27" N)
  • Lon:   -116.464731°   (or -116°27'53" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 10,120 feet to the north<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2409412) to Cathedral City. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Cathedral City. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   33.831688°   (or 33°49'54" N)
  • Lon:   -116.464190°   (or -116°27'51" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 1,423 feet to the north<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Cathedral City. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Cathedral City.

Miscellaneous Information for Cathedral City ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Riverside County or the city of Cathedral City:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Cathedral City:
  • GNIS ID for Cathedral City: 2409412
  • GNIS ID for Riverside County: 277297
  • GNIS ID for State of California: 1779778

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 06 (California)
  • County Code: 065 (Riverside County)
  • Place Code: 12048 (Cathedral City)
  • State & County Code: 06/065 (California / Riverside County)
  • State & Place Code: 06/12048 (California / Cathedral City)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Cathedral City is located in Census Region #4 (the West Region) and Division #9 (the Pacific Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Cathedral City, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Cathedral City. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Cathedral City:92234-92235<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Cathedral City.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Cathedral City: www.cathedralcity.gov/

The official website for Riverside County: www.co.riverside.ca.us/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)