Elevation of Palmdale
2,658ft
above sea level · 810 m
Palmdale is a city in California with 161,845 people, the 33rd most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 26th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 34.58° N · 118.12° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 34° 34′ 46″ N · 118° 6′ 59″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 11S · 397,600 E · 3,826,972 N
- Zone 11 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Pacific Time
- UTC−8 · UTC−7 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 161,845 people
- 106 sq mi of land · 1,526 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from June 2024: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Palmdale had 161,845 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 4.5% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 169,413. Its 106 sq mi of land work out to 1,526 people/sq mi; the state average is 253 people/sq mi.
It’s the 33rd most populous of the 1,617 places the Census counts in California (cities, towns and CDPs), after Los Angeles (3,869,089), and holds 0.4% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Los Angeles County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 1.0 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000
Palmdale sits at 2,658 ft (810 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Palmdale is 1,796 ft above it.
The state capital, Sacramento, is 334 mi away in a straight line and 2,631 ft lower than Palmdale.
The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Los Angeles, 37 mi away in a straight line and 2,374 ft lower.
Of the 75 cities in California with a page, Palmdale is the 3rd highest: the highest is Hesperia (3,178 ft) and the lowest is Stockton (12 ft).
The highest point in California is Mount Whitney, at 14,494 ft according to the USGS: 11,836 ft above Palmdale, 138 mi away in a straight line.
- 26 Palmdale 2,658 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Palmdale.
What is the elevation of Palmdale?
Palmdale is 2,658 feet (810 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Palmdale?
Latitude 34.57943 and longitude -118.11646, in decimal degrees (34° 34′ 46″ N · 118° 6′ 59″ W). In UTM, zone 11: 397,600 E and 3,826,972 N, on NAD83.
How does Palmdale rank among the highest US cities of its size?
It’s the 26th highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).
What county is Palmdale in?
Los Angeles County, California.
Which is higher, Palmdale or Sacramento?
Palmdale. Palmdale sits at 2,658 ft and Sacramento at 27 ft: a difference of 2,631 ft, 334 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know