Barstow, CA - City Report, Stats & Information (2024)

FAQs

What is the poverty rate in Barstow CA? ›

Poverty & Diversity

22.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Barstow, CA (5.61k out of 24.9k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%.

People living in Barstow rate a strong and tight-knit community as one of the top reasons to live in the city. Many residents are multi-generational, testifying to the community's appeal to keep residents engaged and safe in a place where family, roots and history are valued.

It was founded in 1880 during a silver-mining rush and was first called Fishpond and then Waterman Junction. It was renamed in 1886 to honor William Barstow Strong, then president of the Santa Fe Railway. Mining declined, but Barstow endured as a railroad town (diesel repair shops) and tourist spot.

Barstow is a city located in San Bernardino County California. Barstow has a 2024 population of 24,815. Barstow is currently declining at a rate of -0.6% annually and its population has decreased by -2.35% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 25,411 in 2020.

With a crime rate of 35 per one thousand residents, Barstow has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 29.

The largest Barstow racial/ethnic groups are Hispanic (51.6%) followed by White (22.6%) and Black (14.9%).

A California Crossroads

The town soon grew around a railroad depot spurred by the Industrial Revolution. A century later, the automobile paved the way for Route 66, Interstate 40, Interstate 15, Highway 247, and Highway 58, lending to Barstow's moniker: Crossroads of Opportunity.

Based on our Barstow cost of living calculator, Barstow is 3% less expensive than the national average and 28% less expensive to live in than the average city in California.

The San Bernardino County portion, containing the Victor Valley and Barstow, is the most populous region of the High Desert with an estimated 2015 population of over 385,960 residents.

What is the meaning of Barstow? ›

Barstow Surname Meaning

English (Yorkshire): habitational name from a lost place called Bairstow in Southowram Yorkshire probably named with Old English beger 'berry' + stōw 'place'.

Pisgah Crater, or Pisgah Volcano, is a young volcanic cinder cone rising above a lava plain in the Mojave Desert, between Barstow and Needles, California in San Bernardino County, California.

Barstow is a very small but ok town for those who like to live lowkey with no traffic. There are several camping grounds and loads of OVH area for those who travel as well. However Barstow has little to offer with shopping and community activities.

The Barstow International Gateway will be a new, cutting-edge 4,500-acre integrated rail facility on the west side of Barstow.

California cities with the largest estimated population growth, January 2023 to January 2024. Lathrop in San Joaquin County had the largest percent increase of people to its current population of 37,000, with a change of 5.4%. It was followed by Emeryville with a population of 13,000 and a change of 5%.

Poverty rates in San Bernardino County continued to decline into 2019, the latest data available. The percentage of the population living in poverty decreased from 14.9% in 2018 to 13.3% in 2019. This is a drop of almost five percentage points over the past 10 years, when 18.0% of the population lived in poverty.