Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
El Centro earns a D−, 767th among California's 841 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $53K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 78% of the country. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 75% of U.S. towns. 34% of working residents work locally in El Centro, above both California’s towns (6.6%) and U.S. towns (8%). El Centro's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top.
Where El Centro beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
US Post Office-El Centro MainEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far El Centro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,618 in 1910, 44,322 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1920 and 3 maps from 1940 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in El Centro, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in El Centro.
El Centro has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the California rate.
Home values rose 35% in five years, to about $392K, against 13% across California.
The typical El Centro home is worth about $392,000, up 5.6% in a year, 49% below the California typical home. El Centro’s median rent is $1,052 a month.
| El Centro | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,052 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the El Centro Elementary school district. Two of its 22 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson Jr. HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 605 | – |
| Central Union HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,006 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 6,812 U.S. towns with household incomes like El Centro’s, it is less healthy than 54%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
33% of adults say their health is fair or poor in El Centro. El Centro beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 31% of adults worry about having enough food in El Centro.
| El Centro | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 24% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | El Centro | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 21.5% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The El Centro 2 Ssw weather station records that about 180 days a year reach 90°, more than in 100% of U.S. towns. January nights average 43.4°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 107.7°.
The July high in El Centro is 108°F. El Centro has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. The January low in El Centro is 43°F.
| El Centro | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 108°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 43°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 823 to 512 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within California, it does better than 66% of towns.
| El Centro | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 17,864 working residents takes 22 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
About one in 3 of El Centro’s working residents works in town. 5.9% of El Centro workers work from home. Jobs based in El Centro grew to 18,736 in 2023, 1,932 more than in 2013.
| El Centro | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 5.9% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.5 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Bucklin Park, at 22 acres.
| El Centro | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bucklin Park | — | 22 |
| 2. Sunflower | — | 22 |
| 3. Swarthout Field | — | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of El Centro
About 6 of every 100 El Centro residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
15 notable people were born in El Centro.
City in California, United States
El Centro (Spanish for "The Center") is a city in and the county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the most populous city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban area and principal city of the El Centro metropolitan area which encompasses all of Imperial County. El Centro is also the most populous U.S. city to lie entirely below sea level (−42 feet or −13 meters). The city, located in southeastern California, is 113 miles (182 km) from San Diego and less than 20 miles (32 km) from the Mexican city of Mexicali. The city was founded in 1906 by W. F. Holt and C.A. Barker, who purchased the land on which…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with El Centro.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
El Centro grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #767 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Within California, it does better than 66% of towns.
Yes. That is 6.8 years of the area's median household income ($57,681 across the El Centro, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
15 notable people were born here, including Cher and Ken Howard.