Riverside County Office of Economic Development Profile

progress. Visitor spending has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, reaching 120%, while employment stands at 92%. Diversed Industries Apart from tourism and hospitality, the Eastern Region is home to other important industries like accommodation and food services, healthcare and social assistance, administrative and support and waste management and remediation services along with arts, entertainment and recreation. Native American resorts resorts and gaming operations, along with the region’s nearly 125 golf courses, are also great attractions. Excellent Transportation Access The Eastern Region has excellent transportation access through various means. Interstate 10 links Eastern Riverside County with Southern California and southern states, while State Route 86 is a United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) freight corridor that connects the Coachella Valley with Mexico. Significant investments have been made in recent years to improve six highway interchanges along the Interstate 10 Coachella Valley corridor. The region is also served by three airports, including Palm Springs International Airport, Bermuda Dunes, and Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, and Union Pacific rail service traverses the area.

The Eastern Region is geographically the largest, covering more than two-thirds of Riverside County. It stretches from the windmills at the entrance to the Coachella Valley, south to the Salton Sea, and east to the Colorado River and Arizona state line. The Coachella Valley includes the cities of Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage. The Coachella Valley also covers the unincorporated communities of Bermuda Dunes, Desert Edge, Indio Hills, Mecca, Idyllwild/Pine Cove. North Shore, Oasis, Sky Valley, Desert Palms, Thermal, Thousand Palms and Vista Santa Rosa. East of the Coachella Valley are the unincorporated communities of Chiriaco Summit and Desert Center. The Palo Verde Valley area includes the City of Blythe and the unincorporated communities of Mesa Verde and Ripley. Since 2020, the region has seen a job growth rate of 7.8%, which is faster than the county and state averages. 7.8%

2022 Economic Impact of Tourism in Greater Palm Springs Visitor-related employment soared by an impressive 28% in 2022, rebounding to a robust total of 38,649 jobs.

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