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El Centro, CA
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
44,240
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
31
years ∙ half population younger than 31, half older
Diversity Index
24.1%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
29.6%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
El Centro is a city within Imperial County, California, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC32.786351° N, 115.560206° W
DMS32° 47′ 10.86″ N, 115° 33′ 36.74″ W
Population Density & area
3,656/sq mi
(1,409/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
49.5%
male
Male
49.5%
Female
50.5%
males per 100 females
El Centro
98
Imperial County
105.8
California
99.8
Nativity
29.6%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
El Centro
29.6%
Imperial County
31.6%
California
27%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
31
years ∙ half population younger than 31, half older
Dependency ratio
79.6
dependents per 100 working-age adults
El Centro
79.6
Imperial County
72.5
California
60.4
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| El Centro | Imperial County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 30.3% | 28.3% | 22% |
| Working age (18-64) | 55.7% | 58% | 62.3% |
| Senior (65+) | 14% | 13.7% | 15.7% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 79.6 | 72.5 | 60.4 |
| Child dependency ratio | 54.5 | 48.9 | 35.2 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 25.1 | 23.6 | 25.1 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.
Diversity Index
24.1%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
El Centro
24.1%
Imperial County
25.1%
California
69.6%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.
RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of El Centro population
| El Centro | Imperial County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 86.7% | 86% | 40.2% |
| Mexican | 83.4% | 82.9% | 32.3% |
| Puerto Rican | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Cuban | 0% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 3.1% | 2.8% | 7% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 13.3% | 14% | 59.8% |
| One race | 12.3% | 13.1% | 55.4% |
| White | 8.1% | 9.1% | 33.8% |
| Black or African American | 3% | 2% | 5.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| Asian | 1% | 1.3% | 15.3% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Some Other Race | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 1% | 0.9% | 4.4% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
76%
family
Family
76%
Non family
24%
% family households
El Centro
76%
Imperial County
75.6%
California
67.8%
Average household size
3.4
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of El Centro population
| El Centro | Imperial County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 12,890 | 49,644 | 13,548,091 |
| Average houshold size | 3.4 | 3.49 | 2.84 |
| Family households | 9,794 | 37,547 | 9,191,176 |
| Average family size | 3.97 | 4.1 | 3.41 |
| Married couple family | 6,037 | 24,240 | 6,557,184 |
| Other families | 3,757 | 13,307 | 2,633,992 |
| Male householder | 1,255 | 3,747 | 857,732 |
| Female householder | 2,502 | 9,560 | 1,776,260 |
| Non-family households | 3,096 | 12,097 | 4,356,915 |
| One-person households | 2,668 | 10,555 | 3,289,307 |
| Male householder | 1,289 | 5,187 | 1,493,062 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 455 | 1,794 | 460,668 |
| Female householder | 1,379 | 5,368 | 1,796,245 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 1,011 | 3,363 | 886,142 |
| Other living arrangements | 428 | 1,542 | 1,067,608 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
14,656
housing units
El Centro
14,656
Imperial County
58,044
California
14,644,735
Occupancy status
88%
occupied
Occupied
88%
Vacant
12%
vacancy rate
El Centro
12%
Imperial County
14.5%
California
7.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
56.3%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1981
Half of houses were built before 1981, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| El Centro | Imperial County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 4.7 | 4.9 | 5 |
| 1–3 rooms | 27.8% | 19.6% | 21% |
| 4–6 rooms | 52.4% | 61.9% | 54.7% |
| 7+ rooms | 19.8% | 18.5% | 24.4% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 5% | 3.8% | 5% |
| 1 bedroom | 16.8% | 11.5% | 13.2% |
| 2 bedrooms | 22.5% | 24.2% | 26.9% |
| 3 bedrooms | 29.8% | 35.8% | 32.8% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 25.9% | 24.6% | 22.1% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1981 | 1988 | 1976 |
| Total housing units | 14,656 | 58,044 | 14,644,735 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
49.5%
owners
Renter-occupied
50.5%
Owner-occupied
49.5%
homeownership rate
El Centro
49.5%
Imperial County
56.8%
California
55.9%
Average household size
3.41
Owner-occupied
3.39
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
El Centro
3.41
Imperial County
3.56
California
2.95
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| El Centro | Imperial County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 12,890 | 49,644 | 13,548,091 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 22.2% | 18.7% | 23.4% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 44.7% | 46.8% | 41.2% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 15.8% | 17% | 17% |
| 1999 or earlier | 17.2% | 17.5% | 18.5% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 89.1% | 90.1% | 91.8% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 6.7% | 6.8% | 5% |
| 1.51 or more | 4.3% | 3.1% | 3.2% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 5.8% | 6.1% | 7.1% |
| 1 vehicle | 31.7% | 31.9% | 30.7% |
| 2 vehicles | 39.2% | 34.7% | 36.3% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 23.3% | 27.2% | 25.8% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 26.1% | 39.4% | 64.4% |
| Electricity | 70.4% | 54.5% | 29.5% |
| Solar | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1.2% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| All other fuels | 0% | 0.3% | 1.6% |
| No fuel used | 3.3% | 5.5% | 3% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 1% | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| No telephone service available | 0.6% | 1.3% | 0.9% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$323,100
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
36.9%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.
Financial characteristics
Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| El Centro | Imperial County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $323,100 | $309,600 | $734,700 |
| Under $100,000 | 15.3% | 11.1% | 4.2% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 6.4% | 12.3% | 2.7% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 20.5% | 24% | 4.3% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 49.6% | 43.7% | 17.1% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 7.6% | 7.5% | 42.1% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 0.7% | 1.6% | 29.6% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 61.9% | 59.3% | 67.4% |
| Without a mortgage | 38.1% | 40.7% | 32.6% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $1,839 | $1,774 | $2,946 |
| Without a mortgage | $621 | $554 | $829 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $1,052 | $1,056 | $2,036 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
14.9%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
El Centro
14.9%
Imperial County
16.1%
California
37.1%
Adults without a high school diploma
26.7%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
El Centro
26.7%
Imperial County
28.5%
California
15.2%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
13,791
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
40%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| El Centro | Imperial County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 13,791 | 56,041 | 9,917,839 |
| Nursery / preschool | 4.9% | 5% | 5% |
| K–12 | 75.8% | 71.1% | 64.9% |
| Kindergarten | 6.3% | 5.4% | 4.9% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 22.3% | 19.6% | 18.7% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 24.2% | 20.7% | 19.9% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 23% | 25.5% | 21.5% |
| College or graduate school | 19.3% | 23.9% | 30.1% |
| College, undergraduate | 18.1% | 21.4% | 24.3% |
| Graduate, professional school | 1.2% | 2.5% | 5.8% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 40% | 42.9% | 46.8% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 96.3% | 96.1% | 85% |
| Private school | 3.7% | 3.9% | 15% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
26,599
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| El Centro | Imperial County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 26,599 | 111,419 | 27,073,960 |
| Less than 9th grade | 12.4% | 14.4% | 8.7% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 14.3% | 14.1% | 6.5% |
| High school diploma or GED | 27.1% | 25.7% | 20.5% |
| Some college, no degree | 22.6% | 21.6% | 19.3% |
| Associate's degree | 8.8% | 8.2% | 7.9% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.9% | 16.1% | 37.1% |
| Bachelor's degree | 9.3% | 11.6% | 22.7% |
| Graduate or professional | 5.6% | 4.5% | 14.4% |
| High School or higher | 73.3% | 71.5% | 84.7% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$36,102
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
9%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| El Centro | Imperial County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $36,102 | $37,894 | $56,395 |
| Less than high school graduate | $25,790 | $24,955 | $32,480 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $31,800 | $34,358 | $41,382 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $45,212 | $41,986 | $50,157 |
| Bachelor's degree | $40,733 | $60,273 | $80,933 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $79,923 | $85,760 | $111,188 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 21.6% | 22.9% | 20% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 21.3% | 19% | 13.9% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 16.7% | 14.3% | 10.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 9% | 7.5% | 5% |
About Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.
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