Inland Empire Insights

According to data provided by the Census Bureau's 2005 American Community Survey, Southern California accounts for 20% of the nation's Hispanic population but only 7% of the nation's total population. Statewide, the Golden State accounts for 30% of the country's Hispanic population on a base of 12% of total population. Nationwide, there are approximately 41.9 million residents of Hispanic heritage, accounting for 14% of the total population. That number continues to rise.

Of the seven counties comprising Southern California, Imperial County has the highest percentage of residents of Hispanic heritage at 77%. For Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, the percentage of residents that are of Hispanic heritage ranges between 41% and 45%, respectively. The total population, including all ethnicities, for the two-county region is 3.8 million, making the Inland Empire larger than Orange County (2.9 million) and San Diego County (2.8 million). Los Angeles County is the region's most populated with 9.8 million residents, of which 4.6 million (47%) are of Hispanic heritage.

Approximately 43% of the residents in the Inland Empire are Caucasian. This is significantly less than the 67% for the nation.

The median household income for the Inland Empire is $47,479 or 6% higher than the national median of $44,684.

The median age for the two-county Inland Empire is 31.2 or 5.2 years younger than the national median of 36.4 years.

Nationwide, 27% of the population 25 or older have a Bachelor's degree or higher. The Inland Empire lags the nation with 19% having completed at least a Bachelor's degree.

Economic Base

There is a diverse economic base in the Inland Empire (based on the concept of "export" of goods or services) using 2005 average employment as a measure.

The leading industries were:

tourism with 97,100 jobs;
wholesale trade & logistics with 45,800;
health services/bio-medicine with 36,200;
agriculture/food products manufacturing with 28,100; and
technology with 22,700.

Riverside-San Bernardino Area Profile

This metropolitan area is comprised of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and is often called the "Inland Empire." It is bordered by Los Angeles and Orange counties on the west, and on the east by the states of Nevada and Arizona. Riverside County covers 7,304 square miles while San Bernardino covers 20,106.

The July 1, 2005 population of the area totals 3,909,300; an increase of 1,288,900 persons since 1990. The area's population count would make it larger than the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale MSA.
A quick demographic profile of the counties indicates that in Riverside, 51.0% of the population is white non-Hispanic; 36.2% is Hispanic; 6.0% is black; and 3.8% is Asian-Pacific Islander. In San Bernardino, 44.0% is white non-Hispanic; 39.2% is Hispanic; 8.8% is black; and 4.9% is Asian-Pacific Islander. As to education, 75% of Riverside County's population have a high school diploma or more, and 17% have a bachelor's degree or more. For San Bernardino, the numbers are 74% and 16%, respectively. (2000 Census)
There is a diverse economic base in the Inland Empire (based on the concept of "export" of goods or services) using 2005 average employment as a measure. The leading industries were: 1) tourism with 97,100 jobs; 2) wholesale trade & logistics with 45,800; 3) health services/bio-medicine with 36,200; 4) agriculture/food products manufacturing with 28,100; and 5) technology with 22,700.
The Inland Empire is also a growing manufacturing center with employment at the 120,200 mark as of 2005. The largest components are: fabricated metals products with 16,900 jobs; textile mills & apparel with 14,200; transportation equipment with 13,900 each; and plastics & rubber with 11,100.
There is an international trade aspect to the Inland Empire's economy, in that it is a major transportation hub for both rail and truck service, has the Ontario International Airport (a UPS hub, both small packages and air freight, and for Asian service), and is a major distribution center for firms moving goods through Southern California's ports to the rest of the U.S.
This area has an impressive array of higher educational activities, including the University of California Riverside, Cal State San Bernardino, University of La Verne College of Law, University of Redlands, and the Loma Linda School of Medicine. Just to the west of the county line with Los Angeles are the Claremont College group and Cal Poly Pomona. There are also several community colleges.
As noted above, the Inland Empire is a hub for transportation services in Southern California. There is the Ontario International Airport, strategic freeway access, two rail lines, and service by Amtrak and Metrolink (3 lines). There are also three ex-military air fields that are being redeveloped for commercial use: George Air Force Base as the Southern California Logistics Airport, Norton AFB as the San Bernardino International Airport, and March AFB as the March Inland Port.
The two-county area has a diverse portfolio of quality of life elements. These include desert resorts with championship golf courses, and mountain resorts that offer skiing in the winter. There are also fine and performing arts. The California Speedway in Fontana is the largest auto race track in Southern California.

Source: LAEDC, May 2006

Household Median Income

The Inland Empire has 60 ZIP codes with household median incomes exceeding the national average of $44,473. For the region as a whole, the median of $29,452 is 34 percent below the national average.

Top ten ZIP codes in terms of median household income are:

Rank	ZIP / City	HH Inome	Index
1	91784 - Upland	$83,602	284
2	91709 - Chino Hills	$80,588	274
3	92210 - Indian Wells	$80,138	272
4	91737 - Rancho Cucamonga	$78,956	268
5	92881 - Corona	$75,475	256
6	91739 - Rancho Cucamonga	$72,926	248
7	92508 - Riverside	$72,612	247
8	92883 - Corona	$71,333	242
9	91765 - Diamond Bar	$71,286	242
10	92592 - Temecula	$71,003	241

The index scores represent a ZIP code’s median household income relative to the region’s average. For the Upland ZIP code 91784 the average of $83,602 is 2.84 times greater than the average.

Sources: 2005 Census Bureau data compiled by EASI and ad-ology.com.

Mortality Index

Life’s journey takes us to the end of the road at somepoint. The Mortality Index takes into account death from all causes, natural and otherwise.

Top ten ZIP codes with the highest rate of mortality are:

Rank	ZIP / City	Index
1	92586 - Sun City	200 - A
2	92545 - Hemet	199 - A
3	92264 - Palm Springs	197 - A
4	92270 - Rancho Mirage	197 - A
5	92260 - Palm Desert	195 - A
6	92543 - Hemet	195 - A
7	92241 - Desert Hot Springs	194 - A
8	92518 - March Air Reserve Base	191 - A
9	92242 - Earp	190 - A
10	92284 - Yucca Valley	189 - A

It should not be a surprise that these ZIP codes have a greater than normal share of retirees. At the other end of the spectrum include such ZIPs as 91730 in Rancho Cucamonga (66), 91710 in Chino (67) and 92555 in Moreno Valley (64). These ZIPs include a greater percentage of younger families and singles which have a lower estimated mortality rate.

SOURCES: 2005 Census Bureau data compiled by EASI and ad-ology.com.

Consumer Spending on Video Game Hardware
and Software per Household

When in doubt break out the X-Box. Consumers in the Inland Empire’s west-end spent over $24.00 per household putting these ZIP codes at the top of the gaming list. At the other end of the cord are ZIP codes found in the traditional retirement communities of Hemet and Desert Hot Springs where the annual spend was less than $16.00 per household. Game on!

Rank	ZIP / City	Annual HH Spend	Index
1	91709 - Chino Hills	$26.13	196
2	91739 - Rancho Cucamonga	$25.79	193
3	91737 - Rancho Cucamonga	$25.15	189
4	92881 - Corona	$24.99	187
5	92508 - Riverside	$24.97	187
6	92883 - Corona	$24.96	187
7	92592 - Temecula	$24.48	183
8	92880 - Corona	$24.40	183
9	91784 - Upland	$24.10	181
10	91765 - Diamond Bar	$24.05	180

Sources: 2005 Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, EASI and ad-ology.com.