Menifee is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and is part of the Inland Empire. Named after a local miner, Luther Menifee Wilson, it was settled in the 19th century, and incorporated as a city in 2008. As of the 2020 census, Menifee had a population of 102,527.
The city is centrally located in Southern California in the Menifee Valley. It is almost north of Temecula and just north of Murrieta. Menifee is roughly in size and has an elevation of . The incorporated City of Menifee includes the communities of Sun City, Quail Valley, and Romoland.
History
The Menifee area is the traditional lands of the Luiseño people, specifically the Pechanga band. In the 18th century, the area fell under Spanish rule and was ceded by Mexico to the United States in 1848 as a result of the Mexican–American War.
Farming, which began in the mid-19th century, was concentrated in the Menifee area. Mining began in the early 1880s with the discovery of a significant quartz lode by miner Luther Menifee Wilson, from whom Menifee derived its name. Wilson discovered a gold-bearing quartz ledge near present-day Holland and Murrieta roads in 1883, and filed a claim with the San Diego County Recorder's office for this new "Menifee" mine. At the time, the area was referred to as the Menifee Valley.
Early development of the Menifee area began with Sun City in the early 1960s, conceptualized as an active retirement community by Del Webb, a building contractor from Phoenix, Arizona. Webb also developed Sun City, Arizona, under the same concept. Sun City is located in the northwestern part of Menifee and features a mix of residential and commercial activity.
The Menifee area later grew during the late 1980s and early 1990s as a master-planned community. However, a lack of resources such as industry-oriented occupations and high-density retail and commercial businesses caused many residents to drive to cities such as Temecula or Murrieta to shop, dine, or work. In recent years, however, there has been substantial growth in Menifee, attracting many new residents from all areas of Southern California such as San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles, as well as other parts of the Inland Empire.
On June 3, 2008, the residents of the communities encompassing the Menifee area voted to incorporate together to form Riverside County's 26th city. The City of Menifee was officially established on October 1, 2008.
Geography The city of Menifee is bordered on the north, west, south and east by the cities of Perris, Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Murrieta, and the community of Winchester. The city center of Menifee lies at the intersection of Newport Road and Interstate 215.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers an area of 46.6 square miles (120.7 km2), 99.70% of it land, and 0.30% of it water.
The Menifee Hills are a ridge approximately 2 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, with a high point of 2,141 ft. Bell Mountain is a 1,848 ft mountain located in Menifee.
Climate
Menifee has mild winters and hot dry summers. The highest recorded temperature was on June 20, 2016. On average, the coldest month is December. The lowest recorded temperature was on January 1, 1976. The maximum average precipitation occurs in February.Menifee, CA: Weather Facts Retrieved April 20, 2009
Menifee has a Mediterranean climate or Dry-Summer Subtropical (Köppen climate classification Csa). Menifee enjoys plenty of sunshine throughout the year, with an average of 263 sunshine days and only 35 days with measurable precipitation annually of 12.51 inches of rainfall.
The period of April through October is hot and dry with average high temperatures of and lows of , though in the summer, temperatures can easily exceed 105 °F. The period of November through March is somewhat rainy, as shown in the adjacent table. At times, during the winter, large dust storms may form due to the large mass of humidity and low, flat land.
Demographics
2020 census +Menifee city, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2010% 2010White alone (NH)41,98844,97354.16%43.86%Black or African American alone (NH)3,6306,4824.68%6.32%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)3143900.41%0.38%Asian alone (NH)3,5976,2924.64%6.14%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)2624380.34%0.43%Other race alone (NH)1245480.16%0.53%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)2,0534,6552.65%4.54%Hispanic or Latino (any race)25,55138,74932.96%37.79%Total77,519102,527100.00%100.00% The 2020 United States census reported that Menifee had a population of 102,527. The population density was . The racial makeup of Menifee was 52.2% White, 6.8% African American, 1.3% Native American, 6.5% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 16.5% from other races, and 16.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 37.8% of the population.
The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households, 115 people (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 49 people (0.0%) were institutionalized.
There were 34,706 households, out of which 34.8% included children under the age of 18, 56.1% were married-couple households, 5.7% were cohabiting couple households, 24.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 13.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 20.8% of households were one person, and 13.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.95. There were 25,713 families (74.1% of all households).
The age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% aged 18 to 24, 24.9% aged 25 to 44, 24.1% aged 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 39.6years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males.
There were 36,526 housing units at an average density of , of which 34,706 (95.0%) were occupied. Of these, 77.4% were owner-occupied, and 22.6% were occupied by renters.
During 20192023, Menifee had a median household income of $89,183, with 9.6% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
Economy
Top employers
According to the city's 2024 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the ten largest employers in the city are: # Employer # of Employees1Mt. San Jacinto College District1,6042Menifee Union School District1,5053Romoland Elementary School District 7934Menifee Global Medical Center3625Stater Brothers3486 City of Menifee 3457United Parcel Service (UPS)2328Southern California Edison1899Texas Roadhouse18810Olive Garden140
Parks and recreation
As of January 2026, Menifee has 47 public parks, of which 23 are city-owned and 24 are Valley-wide owned parks. In October 2025, the Menifee City Council voted to make steps towards potentially annexing 12 of the Valley-wide owned parks, in order to bring them under the city's control.
Menifee's Gale Webb Action Sports Park is the largest extreme bike park in Southern California. The city also possesses the locally-popular Audie Murphy Ranch Skate Park.
As of June 2026, an amphitheater is partially constructed in Menifee's Central Park; construction has been on-hold since Fall 2025. It will serve as an entertainment venue for performers; the project will cost the city an estimated $6.6 to $6.78 million.
Menifee Hills Open Space In June 2025, the City of Menifee bought the Menifee Hills and designated it as open space for 1.15 million dollars, preserving 398 acres for recreation.https://www.menifee.ca.gov/Archive/ViewFile/Item/3793
Politics + Menifee presidential election results Year Democratic Republican Third Parties202442.43% (22,823)55.28% (29,734)2.29% (1,232)202043.57% (22,128)54.71% (27,789)1.72% (876)201638.55% (13,410)56.52% (19,659)4.93% (1,715)201240.21% (11,758)58.04% (16,969)1.75% (512)
As of October 2025, Menifee is a part of California's 41st congressional district, with Republican Ken Calvert serving as its representative. Following the passing of Proposition 50, Menifee was redistricted into California's 40th congressional district.
In the California State Assembly, Menifee lies within the 63rd district and is represented by Republican Natasha Johnson. In the California State Senate, it is part of the 32nd district and represented by Republican Kelly Seyarto.
In the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Menifee falls within the 3rd District. Officially a non-partisan seat, it is represented by Democratic politician Chuck Washington.
Politically, Menifee is a Republican-leaning city. It has voted Republican in the past four presidential elections (Romney in 2012 and Trump in 2016, 2020, & 2024).
City government
On June 3, 2008, voters elected to incorporate Menifee as a general law city. The new City of Menifee was officially established on October 1, 2008, and is the 26th city located within Riverside County. It was first governed by a five-member city council, with Wallace Edgerton as the mayor. Edgerton was re-appointed mayor for a second term in 2009, and for a third term in 2010.
In 2011, John Denver was appointed mayor by city council, after the city's people requested a change in leadership at city council meetings.
In November 2012, Scott Mann was elected mayor; he was re-elected in November 2014. In 2016, Neil Winter was elected mayor, defeating Mann, who unsuccessfully ran for a third term. Mann's FPPC violation of using campaign funding for personal funding was believed to have helped Winter to win the election. Mann resigned office early after being formally censured by city council, and Greg August served as acting mayor for 20 days until Winter was sworn in. During the 2016 election, voters also approved a measure to increase mayoral terms from two to four years.
+ List of Mayors of Menifee No. Name Term 1 Wallace Edgerton 1 Oct. 2008 - 4 Jan. 2012 2 John Denver 4 Jan. 2012 - 4 Dec. 2012 3 Scott Mann 4 Dec. 2012 -17 Nov. 2016 Acting Greg August 17 Nov. 2016 - 7 Dec. 2016 4 Neil Winter † 7 Dec. 2016 -19 May 2018 Pro Tempore Lesa Sobek 19 May 2018 -18 July 2018 5 Bill Zimmerman 18 July 2018 -17 Dec. 2024 6 Ricky Estrada 17 Dec. 2024 -Present On May 19, 2018, Mayor Winter unexpectedly died in office, due to an apparent heart attack. Councilwoman Lesa Sobek took up mayoral responsibilities as mayor pro tempore following Winter's death. After 60 days, Bill Zimmerman was elected Mayor of Menifee in a 3-1 decision by the city council, on July 18, 2018. In November 2020, Zimmerman was re-elected to serve a four-year term as Mayor.
In November 2024, Ricky Estrada was elected mayor; and was sworn in on December 17. In August 2025, Estrada (a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve) was called into a 6 month deployment; Mayoral Pro Tem Bob Karwin temporarily assumed mayoral duties in Estrada's absence, beginning October 2025. According to Menifee 24/7, Estrada's deployment represents only the fourth time in U.S. history where an active mayor was deployed during their term; the three previous cases involved Pete Buttigieg, Brent R. Taylor (KIA), and Jacob R. Day. In April 2026, Estrada returned to Menifee from his deployment, and resumed his duties as mayor.
Local policies As of 2026, the city holds its annual Independence Day celebrations on the Saturday before July 4th. This practice has been in place for over 30 years, as a cost-cutting measure.
Voter registrations As of February 2025, Menifee has 74,782 registered voters. Among these, Republicans hold the plurality of registrations. Party Registered voters PercentageAmerican Independent 3,863 5.17%Democratic 24,344 32.55%Green 275 0.38%Libertarian Party 938 1.25%Peace and Freedom Party 345 0.46%Republican 29,128 38.95%No Party preference (Independent) 14,931 19.96%Unknown/Other 958 1.28%
Public Safety