La Palma (; Spanish for "the palm") is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 15,581 at the 2020 census, up from 15,568 at the 2010 census.
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 (the other two being Dairy Valley, now Cerritos, and Dairy City, now Cypress) 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 (1.32%) 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.
Racial and ethnic composition
+La Palma city, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)11,0668,1195,5924,3293,32471.86%52.75%36.29%27.81%21.33%Black or African American alone (NH)3816336967737662.47%4.11%4.52%4.97%4.92%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)128373726180.83%0.24%0.24%0.17%0.12%Asian alone (NH)2,0284,6996,8747,4327,83513.17%30.53%44.61%47.74%50.29%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)4336770.28%0.23%0.49%Other race alone (NH)14323543540.09%0.21%0.23%0.28%0.35%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xx395442568xx2.56%2.84%3.65%Hispanic or Latino (any race)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 census As of the 2020 census, 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, of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 61.4% were married-couple households, 3.3% were cohabiting couple households, 23.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, and 12.0% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. About 15.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01. There were 4,156 families (80.5% of all households).
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, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.1 males age 18 and over.
There were 5,270 housing units at an average density of , of which 5,160 (97.9%) were occupied. Of the occupied units, 68.0% were owner-occupied and 32.0% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.9%. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
2023 ACS 5-year estimates 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 census 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 (37.0%) White (27.8% Non-Hispanic White), 802 (5.2%) African American, 56 (0.4%) Native American, 7,483 (48.1%) Asian, 41 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 760 (4.9%) from other races, and 664 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,487 persons (16.0%).
The census reported that 15,548 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 14 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 6 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 5,080 households, 1,949 (38.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,331 (65.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 641 (12.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 240 (4.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 134 (2.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 26 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 716 households (14.1%) were one person and 389 (7.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.06. There were 4,212 families (82.9% of households); the average family size was 3.37.
The age distribution was 3,423 people (22.0%) under the age of 18, 1,418 people (9.1%) aged 18 to 24, 3,805 people (24.4%) aged 25 to 44, 4,445 people (28.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,477 people (15.9%) 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 (71.8%) were owner-occupied and 1,432 (28.2%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.0%. 11,315 people (72.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 4,233 people (27.2%) 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,ACFR the top employers in the city are:
# Employer # of Employees 1 ADP5652 La Palma Intercommunity Hospital3953 Applecare Medical Group2784 Arcadia1795 Beacon Day School1476 Tech Knowledge Associates LLC937 Walmart Stores928 Quiet Logistics879 Sunrise Assisted Living7810 CJ 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 (35.87%) are registered Democrats, 2,637 (31.55%) are registered Republicans, and 2,446 (29.27%) 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
Portions of La Palma are in the Centralia Elementary School District, the Cypress Elementary School District, and the Buena Park Elementary School District. Residents of the former two school districts are within the Anaheim Union High School District. Residents of the Buena Park district are in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District. - Text list
Schools in the La Palma city limits: Los Coyotes Elementary: Centralia Elementary School District G.B. Miller Elementary: Centralia Elementary School District Steve Luther Elementary: Cypress School District Walker Junior High School: Anaheim Union High School District John F. Kennedy High School: Anaheim Union High School District Beacon Day School for Children with Autism and Related Disorders: Private
Walker and Kennedy are the zoned middle and high school, respectively, for sections of La Palma in the Anaheim UHSD. - Compare to a PDF map of the La Palma city limits
Orange County Library operates the La Palma Branch.
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:
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital (Hospital)
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.La Palma 2024 WQ Report
Crime The Uniform Crime Report (UCR), 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: +2023 UCR DataAggravated AssaultHomicideRapeRobberyBurglaryLarceny TheftMotor Vehicle TheftArsonLa Palma1101439229582
Media KMPC (Radio Korea) has its offices in La Palma. It moved there from Koreatown, Los Angeles in 2025.
Notable people
Hugo Arellano (born 1998) – soccer player Nathan Baesel (born 1974) – actor Ami Bera (born 1965) – U.S. representative for California Derrick Deese Jr. (born 1998) – National Football League (NFL) player John Lamb (born 1990) – Major League Baseball (MLB) player Steve Rotter (born 1998) – volleyball player
References
External links