La Palma, California


La Palma is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 15,581 at the 2020 census, up from 15,568 at the 2010 census.
WWW cityoflapalma.org

History

La Palma was incorporated on October 26, 1955. It was originally incorporated as Dairyland, and was one of three dairy cities in the region but when the dairies moved east in 1965, the name of the community was changed to La Palma, after the region's Spanish heritage and its main thoroughfare, La Palma Avenue.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of. of it is land and of it is water. This makes it the smallest city in Orange County in terms of area.

Biogeography

The most common native species: Hairy Sand Verbena, Red Sand Verbena, and Pink Sand Verbena.

Demographics

La Palma was first listed as a city in the 1970 U.S. census. Prior to that, the area was part of unincorporated Anaheim Township.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010
White alone 11,0668,1195,5924,3293,32471.86%52.75%36.29%27.81%21.33%
Black or African American alone 3816336967737662.47%4.11%4.52%4.97%4.92%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 128373726180.83%0.24%0.24%0.17%0.12%
Asian alone 2,0284,6996,8747,4327,83513.17%30.53%44.61%47.74%50.29%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone 2,0284,69943367713.17%30.53%0.28%0.23%0.49%
Other race alone 14323543540.09%0.21%0.23%0.28%0.35%
Mixed race or Multiracial xx395442568xx2.56%2.84%3.65%
Hispanic or Latino 1,7821,8721,7362,4872,93911.57%12.16%11.27%15.98%18.86%
Total15,39915,39215,40815,56815,581100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that La Palma had a population of 15,581. The population density was. The racial makeup of La Palma was 25.2% White, 5.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 50.8% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 7.5% from other races, and 10.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.9% of the population.
The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.
There were 5,160 households, out of which 34.1% included children under the age of 18, 61.4% were married-couple households, 3.3% were cohabiting couple households, 23.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 12.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 15.4% of households were one person, and 9.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.01. There were 4,156 families.
The age distribution was 18.8% under the age of 18, 8.4% aged 18 to 24, 24.1% aged 25 to 44, 28.4% aged 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 44.1years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males.
There were 5,270 housing units at an average density of, of which 5,160 were occupied. Of these, 68.0% were owner-occupied, and 32.0% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $115,833, and the per capita income was $53,050. About 3.6% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 US Census reported that La Palma had a population of 15,568. The population density was. The racial makeup of La Palma was 5,762 White, 802 African American, 56 Native American, 7,483 Asian, 41 Pacific Islander, 760 from other races, and 664 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,487 persons.
The census reported that 15,548 people lived in households, 14 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 6 were institutionalized.
There were 5,080 households, 1,949 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,331 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 641 had a female householder with no husband present, 240 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 134 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 26 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 716 households were one person and 389 had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.06. There were 4,212 families ; the average family size was 3.37.
The age distribution was 3,423 people under the age of 18, 1,418 people aged 18 to 24, 3,805 people aged 25 to 44, 4,445 people aged 45 to 64, and 2,477 people who were 65 or older. The median age was 41.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.
There were 5,224 housing units at an average density of 2,852.0 per square mile, of the occupied units 3,648 were owner-occupied and 1,432 were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.0%. 11,315 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 4,233 people lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States Census, La Palma had a median household income of $87,289, with 7.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Economy

Top employers

According to La Palma's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
#Employer# of Employees
1ADP565
2La Palma Intercommunity Hospital395
3Applecare Medical Group278
4Arcadia179
5Beacon Day School147
6Tech Knowledge Associates LLC93
7Walmart Stores92
8Quiet Logistics87
9Sunrise Assisted Living78
10CJ Foods USA75

Government

The mayor is Nitesh P. Patel.
According to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, as of May 15, 2025, La Palma has 10,076 registered voters. Of those, 2,998 are registered Democrats, 2,637 are registered Republicans, and 2,446 have declined to state a political party/are independents.

Federal, state, and county representation

In the United States House of Representatives, La Palma is in since 2025.
In the California State Senate, La Palma resides within California's 36th senatorial district, represented by Republican Tony Strickland since 2025.
In the California State Assembly, La Palma resides within California's 67th State Assembly district, represented by Democrat Sharon Quirk-Silva since 2016.
For the Orange County Board of Supervisors, La Palma resides within the 1st district, represented by Janet Nguyen since 2024.

Education

Infrastructure

Los Cerritos Community News serves the city.

Transportation

Orange County Transportation Authority operates three bus routes in La Palma.

Emergency services

Fire protection in La Palma is provided by the Orange County Fire Authority with ambulance transport by Care Ambulance Service. The La Palma Police Department provides law enforcement services.

Health Care

La Palma is served by one health care facility:

Water Services

Water in La Palma is supplied by the City of La Palma Public Works & Community Services Department, which sources its water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. This water is imported from both Northern California and the Colorado River. Additionally, groundwater is supplied by Orange County Water District, sourced by an underground aquifer that replenishes from the Santa Ana River, local rainfall, and imported water.

Crime

The Uniform Crime Report, collected annually by the FBI, compiles police statistics from local and state law enforcement agencies across the nation. The UCR records Part I and Part II crimes. Part I crimes become known to law enforcement and are considered the most serious crimes including homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Part II crimes only include arrest data. The 2023 UCR Data for La Palma is listed below:
Aggravated AssaultHomicideRapeRobberyBurglaryLarceny TheftMotor Vehicle TheftArson
La Palma1101439229582

Notable people