Imperial County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Imperial County, 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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C
Health Below averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in California
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D
Income Well below averageAmong the 3 least wealthy counties in California
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 89% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Imperial County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 180,111 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 40.2 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.10% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 31.5 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 49,623 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Imperial County grew by 12.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 180,111 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Imperial County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.5% of residents. That is 2.8 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 44,206 24.5% +2.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 39,616 22.0% -1.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 30,204 16.8% -3.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 24,703 13.7% -1.5 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 48.4% of the people living in Imperial County and men 51.6%.
- Women 48.4% California 49.9%
- Men 51.6% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Imperial County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Imperial County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Imperial County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,720 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.92% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 12.5% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Imperial County is about 42% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Imperial County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $263,087 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,056 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 56.8% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Imperial County is about 20.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,056 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Imperial County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 149 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Imperial County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.9 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.8 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 149 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,624 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.2% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,996 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,078 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
California:
Inyo County (11.1 min), Mono County (12.0 min), Del Norte County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Alpine County (31.3 min), San Benito County (31.2 min), Contra Costa County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Imperial County is 18 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
Imperial County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Imperial County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.1% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.48 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
California:
Marin County (0.5), San Francisco County (0.4), Santa Clara County (0.4).
Lowest:
Colusa County (0.2), Merced County (0.2), Glenn County (0.2).
Health
Imperial County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Imperial County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.0 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.0% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.6% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
California:
San Francisco County (0.8), San Mateo County (0.8), Santa Clara County (0.8).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.8), Imperial County (0.8), Tulare County (0.8).
Imperial County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Imperial County, CA is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 180,111 residents against a local median of 2,335,750. The measure that sets Imperial County, CA apart most is median home price: $263,087, 41% below the local median of $449,430.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $57,720 against a local median of $90,021, 36% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Imperial County, CA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $654,297 on median home price, so Imperial County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Imperial County, CA has the 4th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial County, CA | 180,111 | $57,720 #5/5 | $263,087 #4/5 | 17.9 min #1/5 |
| Riverside County, CA | 2,477,722 | $93,715 | $479,061 | 28.1 min |
| San Diego County, CA | 3,282,387 | $106,588 | $797,190 | 22.6 min |
| Yuma County, AZ | 211,723 | $63,384 | $142,893 | 18.2 min |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 2,193,778 | $86,328 | $419,799 | 25.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Imperial County, California.
How many people live in Imperial County, California?
About 180,111 people live in Imperial County, California, in 49,623 households of 3.5 people on average. The median age is 31.5, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is Imperial County, California?
Averaged over its land area, Imperial County, California has 40 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 47% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Imperial County, California?
The median home costs 4.6 times the median household income ($263,087 against $57,720), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,056 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Imperial County, California?
Unemployment in Imperial County, California is 12.5%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Imperial County, California?
14.1% of adults in Imperial County, 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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