Imperial County, California

County in CA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

180,202

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

33.2

years ∙ half population younger than 33.2, half older

Diversity Index

25.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

31.6%

foreign-born population

68.4%Native

31.6% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Imperial County is a county in California, United States.

Location

County in CA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC33.040814° N, 115.355400° W

DMS33° 02′ 26.93″ N, 115° 21′ 19.44″ W

Population Density & area

43.15/sq mi (16.66/km²)

Total Area

4,481 sq mi (11,605 km²)

Land Area

4,176 sq mi (10,815 km²) · 93.2%

Water Area

305 sq mi (790 km²) · 6.8%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

51.4% male

Male 51.4%

Female 48.6%

males per 100 females

Imperial County 105.8

California 99.8

United States 98

Nativity

31.6%

foreign-born population

68.4%Native

31.6% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Imperial County 31.6%

California 27%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

33.2

years ∙ half population younger than 33.2, half older

Imperial County

33.2

California

37.9

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

72.5

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Imperial County 72.5

California 60.4

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Imperial County	California	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	28.3%	22%	22%
Working age (18-64)	58%	62.3%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	13.7%	15.7%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	72.5	60.4	64.4
Child dependency ratio	48.9	35.2	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	23.6	25.1	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

9.1%

Black

Asian

1.3%

Hispanic

86%

Other

1.6%

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

25.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Imperial County 25.1%

California 69.6%

United States 61.4%

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 Imperial County population

	Imperial County	California	United States
Hispanic or Latino	86%	40.2%	19.3%
Mexican	82.9%	32.3%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.2%	0.6%	1.8%
Cuban	0.1%	0.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	2.8%	7%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	14%	59.8%	80.7%
One race	13.1%	55.4%	76.4%
White	9.1%	33.8%	57.4%
Black or African American	2%	5.2%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.6%	0.3%	0.5%
Asian	1.3%	15.3%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.3%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.1%	0.6%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	0.9%	4.4%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

75.6% family

Family 75.6%

Non family 24.4%

% family households

Imperial County 75.6%

California 67.8%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

3.49

persons per household

Imperial County

3.49

California

2.84

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Imperial County population

	Imperial County	California	United States
Total households	49,644	13,548,091	129,227,496
Average houshold size	3.49	2.84	2.53
Family households	37,547	9,191,176	82,990,528
Average family size	4.1	3.41	3.14
Married couple family	24,240	6,557,184	60,637,388
Other families	13,307	2,633,992	22,353,140
Male householder	3,747	857,732	6,572,819
Female householder	9,560	1,776,260	15,780,321
Non-family households	12,097	4,356,915	46,236,968
One-person households	10,555	3,289,307	37,140,836
Male householder	5,187	1,493,062	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	1,794	460,668	5,225,110
Female householder	5,368	1,796,245	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	3,363	886,142	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	1,542	1,067,608	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

58,044

housing units

Imperial County 58,044

California 14,644,735

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

85.5% occupied

Occupied 85.5%

Vacant 14.5%

vacancy rate

Imperial County 14.5%

California 7.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

64.9%

Single family houses

64.9%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

25.9%

Mobile homes

8.8%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.4%

Median Year Built

1988

Half of houses were built before 1988, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

3.8%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

20.9%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

43.7%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

31.5%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Imperial County	California	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	4.9	5	5.5
1–3 rooms	19.6%	21%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	61.9%	54.7%	51.6%
7+ rooms	18.5%	24.4%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	3.8%	5%	2.9%
1 bedroom	11.5%	13.2%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	24.2%	26.9%	25%
3 bedrooms	35.8%	32.8%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	24.6%	22.1%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1988	1976	1981
Total housing units	58,044	14,644,735	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

56.8% owners

Renter-occupied 43.2%

Owner-occupied 56.8%

homeownership rate

Imperial County 56.8%

California 55.9%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

3.56

Owner-occupied

3.38

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Imperial County 3.56

California 2.95

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Imperial County	California	United States
Total occupied units	49,644	13,548,091	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	18.7%	23.4%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	46.8%	41.2%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	17%	17%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	17.5%	18.5%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	90.1%	91.8%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	6.8%	5%	2.2%
1.51 or more	3.1%	3.2%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	6.1%	7.1%	8.4%
1 vehicle	31.9%	30.7%	33.1%
2 vehicles	34.7%	36.3%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	27.2%	25.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	39.4%	64.4%	51.4%
Electricity	54.5%	29.5%	41.3%
Solar	0.2%	1.2%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.1%	0.2%	3.9%
All other fuels	0.3%	1.6%	2%
No fuel used	5.5%	3%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.6%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.7%	1.2%	0.8%
No telephone service available	1.3%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$309,600

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Imperial County

$309,600

California

$734,700

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

36.7%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

36.7%

Owners without a mortgage

14.3%

Renters

53%

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

	Imperial County	California	United States
Property value
Median Value	$309,600	$734,700	$332,700
Under $100,000	11.1%	4.2%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	12.3%	2.7%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	24%	4.3%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	43.7%	17.1%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	7.5%	42.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.6%	29.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	59.3%	67.4%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	40.7%	32.6%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,774	$2,946	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$554	$829	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,056	$2,036	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

16.1%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Imperial County 16.1%

California 37.1%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

28.5%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Imperial County 28.5%

California 15.2%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

56,041

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

71.1%

College / Undergraduate

21.4%

Graduate / Professional

2.5%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

42.9%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Imperial County

42.9%

California

46.8%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Imperial County	California	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	56,041	9,917,839	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	5%	5%	5.7%
K–12	71.1%	64.9%	67.6%
Kindergarten	5.4%	4.9%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	19.6%	18.7%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	20.7%	19.9%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	25.5%	21.5%	21.7%
College or graduate school	23.9%	30.1%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	21.4%	24.3%	21%
Graduate, professional school	2.5%	5.8%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	42.9%	46.8%	40.9%
School type
Public school	96.1%	85%	82%
Private school	3.9%	15%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

111,419

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

14.4%

9th-12th, no diploma

14.1%

HS graduate

25.7%

Some college no degree

21.6%

Associates degree

8.2%

Bachelors degree

11.6%

Graduate or professional degree

4.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

45.3% · 54.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

58% · 42%

HS graduate

57.3% · 42.7%

Some college no degree

50.5% · 49.5%

Associates degree

43.8% · 56.2%

Bachelors degree

45% · 55%

Graduate or professional degree

46.5% · 53.5%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Imperial County	California	United States
Population (25+)	111,419	27,073,960	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	14.4%	8.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	14.1%	6.5%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	25.7%	20.5%	26%
Some college, no degree	21.6%	19.3%	19.1%
Associate's degree	8.2%	7.9%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.1%	37.1%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	11.6%	22.7%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	4.5%	14.4%	14.1%
High School or higher	71.5%	84.7%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$37,894

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$24,955

HS graduate

$34,358

Some college or associates

$41,986

Bachelors degree

$60,273

Graduate or professional degree

$85,760

Poverty Rate

7.5%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

22.9%

HS graduate

19%

Some college or associates

14.3%

Bachelors degree or higher

7.5%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Imperial County	California	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$37,894	$56,395	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$24,955	$32,480	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$34,358	$41,382	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$41,986	$50,157	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$60,273	$80,933	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$85,760	$111,188	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	22.9%	20%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	19%	13.9%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	14.3%	10.1%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	7.5%	5%	4.5%

Insights for Imperial County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

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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