Daggett's housing is sparse and rooted in its railroad-town past. The community holds a small number of older desert homes, many modest and set on large, open lots, alongside scattered newer construction and mobile homes. Because the town is unincorporated and tiny, inventory is very limited, and much of the surrounding land is undeveloped desert or utility-owned property. Buyers are typically drawn by the low cost of desert land, the wide-open space, and the independence of rural living rather than by subdivision amenities. For anything beyond the basics, residents look to Barstow, ten miles west, where the region's commercial and civic services are concentrated.

Daggett is a single small desert community rather than a collection of neighborhoods. The old downtown, strung along the former Route 66 alignment, holds the surviving historic buildings—the Stone Hotel, the Desert Market, and Fout's Garage—that mark its railroad and highway era. Residential parcels spread loosely around that core, many on large desert lots with no formal street grid. Interstate 40 passes along the town's edge, and the surrounding valley is a mix of open desert, railroad infrastructure, and solar-energy fields. Barstow, ten miles west, and Yermo, home to Calico Ghost Town, frame the local area, giving Daggett a wide-open, sparsely settled character.

Life in Daggett is quiet, remote, and tied to the desert. There is little commercial activity in town, so residents make the short drive to Barstow for groceries, schools, and services. The Route 66 heritage gives the community a distinct identity, and history-minded travelers pass through to photograph the old buildings. Outdoor life means wide-open space: off-roading, desert driving, stargazing under dark skies, and day trips to Calico Ghost Town or the Mojave River. The nearby solar facilities employ some workers locally. It is a lifestyle suited to people who value solitude, space, and the Mojave's stark beauty over convenience.

Daggett is served by Barstow Unified School District, the public system based in Barstow about ten miles west. The district operates a dozen-plus schools serving students across the Barstow area and nearby desert communities, including Daggett and Newberry Springs, with bus transportation connecting outlying areas. Students attend district elementary, middle, and high schools in Barstow, and Barstow High School's athletics are a point of local pride. There are no schools within Daggett itself, so families plan on the short commute to Barstow for education, a practical consideration for anyone relocating to the town.

Daggett sits directly on Interstate 40, which passes along the town's edge and links it east toward Needles and the Colorado River and west to Barstow, where it meets Interstate 15. The old Route 66 alignment runs through the community, and the BNSF railroad, a descendant of the Santa Fe line that built Daggett, remains a busy freight corridor nearby. Barstow is about ten miles west, providing the nearest full range of services and the junction with I-15 toward Las Vegas or the Los Angeles basin. There is no passenger rail or local transit in Daggett, so all travel is by car.

Daggett's recreation is defined by the desert. Calico Ghost Town Regional Park, a restored 1880s silver-mining town a short drive away in Yermo, offers mine tours, a train ride, gunfight re-enactments, and historical exhibits. The Mojave River, intermittent through the area, supports pockets of greenery and birdlife, and the surrounding Bureau of Land Management desert provides open country for off-roading, camping, and exploring. The town's Route 66 landmarks draw history and photography enthusiasts, and the dark desert skies favor stargazing. Barstow's museums, including the Route 66 Mother Road Museum and Western America Railroad Museum, add indoor options nearby.