El Centro, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
El Centro, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | El Centro | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 40,361 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3326.1 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.49% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.7 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 11,947 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in El Centro grew by 6.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 40,361 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in El Centro is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 25.2% of residents. That is 3.5 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 10,161 25.2% +3.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,715 19.1% -4.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 6,883 17.1% -2.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,617 13.9% -1.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.1% of the people living in El Centro and men 48.9%.
- Women 51.1% California 49.9%
- Men 48.9% California 50.1%
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Economy
El Centro has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | El Centro | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,409 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.76% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 10.3% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in El Centro is about 45% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | El Centro | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $298,208 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,017 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 48.0% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in El Centro is about 24.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,017 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in El Centro spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 134 hours, about 5.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | El Centro | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.1 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 32.2 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 134 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,157 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.6% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,050 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,608 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in El Centro is 16 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
El Centro has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | El Centro | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.1% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.35 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Health
El Centro has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | El Centro | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.4 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.2% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
El Centro, CA Compared With Nearby Cities
How El Centro, CA compares with the 1 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Centro, CA | 40,361 | $54,409 #1/2 | $298,208 #1/2 | 16.1 min #1/2 |
| Calexico, CA | 28,216 | $44,366 | $244,999 | 22.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about El Centro, California.
How many people live in El Centro, California?
About 40,361 people live in El Centro, California, in 11,947 households of 3.3 people on average. The median age is 33.7, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is El Centro, California?
Averaged over its land area, El Centro, California has 3,326 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 38 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in El Centro, California?
The median home costs 5.5 times the median household income ($298,208 against $54,409), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,017 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in El Centro, California?
Unemployment in El Centro, California is 10.3%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in El Centro, California?
14.1% of adults in El Centro, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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