Imperial Beach, California Income Statistics
Imperial Beach Wealth Score
The wealth index reflects the overall economic prosperity and financial well-being of an area's residents based on income levels, employment rates, and income inequality metrics.
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D
Imperial Beach Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Income Statistics Overview
| Metric | Imperial Beach | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $84,067 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Median Personal Income | $52,174 | $67,742 | $60,758 |
| Average Yearly Income Growth | 7.4% | 5.6% | 4.8% |
| Six-Figure Earners | 12.9% | 17.6% | 13.9% |
| $200k+ Households | 10.5% | 20.5% | 13.2% |
The median household income in Imperial Beach is about 15% lower than in California. Income has been growing faster in Imperial Beach (7.4%/yr) than in California (5.6%/yr).
About 13% of adults in Imperial Beach earn six figures ($100,000 or more) a year, lower than the California average of 18%.
Median Household Income 2009–2024 Trend
Median Household Income Over Time
Median household income in Imperial Beach, California grew by 81.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching $84,067 in 2024. That's an average of about 7.4% per year.
Income Inequality and the Gender Pay Gap in Imperial Beach
| Metric | Imperial Beach | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gini Coefficient | 0.538 | 0.572 | 0.552 |
| Male Median Income | $64,904 | $75,172 | $69,667 |
| Female Median Income | $54,126 | $66,071 | $56,850 |
| Gender Pay Gap | 16.6% | 12.1% | 18.4% |
The Gini coefficient measures how evenly income is shared between richer and poorer households, from 0 (everyone earns the same) to 1 (one household earns nearly everything). The lower the number, the more equally income is distributed. In Imperial Beach, it is 0.538, lower than California's 0.572, so income is more evenly distributed here than there, and lower than the US's 0.552, so income is more evenly distributed here than there.
Men's income is about 20% more than women's income in Imperial Beach, California. Over a 35-year career, a 20% wage gap accumulates to roughly $377,230 in unearned income for female workers in the area.
Income by Sex Over Time
Since 2009, the income gap between men and women in Imperial Beach, California has narrowed from about 23% to 17% in 2024. Over that period the gap was widest at 26% in 2010, and was narrowest at 5% in 2020. In dollar terms, the gap has widened by $1,413 since 2009.
Employment
| Metric | Imperial Beach | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment Rate | 6.5% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
| Working from Home | 10.6% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Commute time (minutes) | 26 | 23 | 22 |
Approximately 917 people are unemployed in Imperial Beach, California.
The average commute time in Imperial Beach is 26 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in California.
Unemployment Rate Over Time
Since 2011, the unemployment rate in Imperial Beach, California has fallen from 12.8% to 6.5% in 2024. Over that period the rate peaked at 14.2% in 2013 and fell as low as 6.4% in 2021.
Imperial Beach, CA Wealth Compared With Nearby Cities
Imperial Beach, CA is the smallest of the 4 cities compared here, 25,196 residents against a local median of 57,784. Imperial Beach, CA's income growth, at 7.4%/yr, runs 21% above the 6.1%/yr typical of the cities around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The cities themselves sit within 0.4%/yr of each other on income growth, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Imperial Beach, CA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Imperial Beach, CA has the highest income growth of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Income growthAverage yearly change in median household income since 2016. Each year is measured in its own dollars, so this is growth before inflation. | Unemployment | Income inequalityGini coefficient: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 that a single household earns everything. The lower the number, the more equally income is shared here. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Beach, CA | 25,196 | $84,067 #3/4 | 7.4%/yr #1/4 | 6.5% #2/4 | 0.538 #1/4 |
| National City, CA | 57,784 | $67,172 | 6.1%/yr | 6.0% | 0.545 |
| Chula Vista, CA | 265,525 | $105,666 | 6.2%/yr | 7.7% | 0.571 |
| La Presa, CA | 34,750 | $96,192 | 5.8%/yr | 7.5% | 0.559 |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Imperial Beach, California has an overall wealth index grade of D, making it somewhat worse than California, and somewhat worse than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about income and wealth in Imperial Beach, California.
How Wealthy Is Imperial Beach, California?
Imperial Beach has a wealth index grade of D. The wealth index grades areas from A+ (best) to F- by combining income levels, employment rates, and income inequality; a D grade means residents are somewhat worse off than the U.S. average. The median household income is $84,067, about 15% lower than the California average of $99,161.
Are incomes growing in Imperial Beach, California?
Between 2009 and 2024, the median household income in Imperial Beach, California rose 81%, from $46,452 to $84,067. Over the same years, income here outpaced California as a whole: +81% against +64%.
What was the median household income in Imperial Beach in 2023?
In 2023, the median household income in Imperial Beach, California was $78,020, up 3% from $75,752 in 2022. The California median that year was $96,718.
What was the median household income in Imperial Beach in 2020?
In 2020, the median household income in Imperial Beach, California was $59,483. By 2024 it had risen 41% to $84,067.
What is the Gini coefficient in Imperial Beach, California?
The Gini coefficient in Imperial Beach is 0.538. It measures income inequality on a scale from 0 (everyone earns the same) to 1 (one household earns everything). That is lower than the US average of 0.552, so income is distributed more equally than in the country overall.
How has the income gap between men and women changed in Imperial Beach, California?
Since 2009, the income gap between men and women in Imperial Beach, California has narrowed from about 23% to 17% in 2024. Over that period the gap was widest at 26% in 2010, and was narrowest at 5% in 2020. In dollar terms, the gap has widened by $1,413 since 2009.
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