Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety72#262/924
Economy4#892/925
Housing3#895/925
Health65#320/925
Healthcare20#737/923
Environment5#868/917
Education7#859/925
Infrastructure44#519/925
Community12#814/925
Leisure & amenities13#805/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where El Centro, CA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Suicide rate · low7.3 /100k
99/100California 9.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high35.7%
98/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · low58 /100k
97/100California 67 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · low7.4 /100k
94/100California 6.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Depression · low20.0%
91/100California 20.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · high10.5 /10k
86/100California 17.4 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Unemployment rate · high18.9%
0/100California 5.5%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Hot days · high177 days
0/100California 66 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Severe housing problems · high25.5%
1/100California 25.8%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Poor or fair health · high32.4%
1/100California 21.5%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
High school diploma or higher · low71.5%
1/100California 84.7%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Mammography screening · low28.0%
1/100California 38.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureImproving
98% (2021) → 20% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−78 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysImproving
11 days (2017) → 3 days (2022)
−73%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Drug overdose deathsWorsening
10.6 /100k (2021) → 17.9 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
+69%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
32.8% (Dec 2021) → 46.1% (Aug 2026)
+13 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Property crime rateImproving
1,955 /100k (2020) → 718 /100k (2025)
−63%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.5% (2015-2019) → 90.1% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, El Centro, CA metro area improved on 17 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 6 moved within the margin of error and 2 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved17

Poverty−4.6 points24.1% → 19.5%
Property crime−63%1,955 /100k → 718 /100k
Real income+40%$39,089 → $54,759
Child poverty−7.6 points32.2% → 24.6%
Uninsured−2.2 points9.0% → 6.9%

Declined6

Price / income+1.3×4.1× → 5.4×
Libraries−9.5%0.7 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Firearm deaths+32%5.6 /100k → 7.4 /100k
Restaurants−8.2%4.6 /10k → 4.2 /10k
Suicides+9%6.7 /100k → 7.3 /100k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of El Centro, CA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.1 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	+15%	Improved	64%
Average commute time	22.1 min2015-2019	22.1 min2020-2024	−0.0 min	Within the margin of error	66%
Average weekly wage	$8792020	$1,0832025	+23%	Improved	49%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.2%2015-2019	16.1%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Broadband subscriptions	77.5%2015-2019	90.1%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	82%
Child poverty rate	32.2%2015-2019	24.6%2020-2024	−7.6 points	Improved	90%
Distance to an airport	88 mi2020	88 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	34.5 /100k2020	17.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−48%	Improved	79%
Effective property tax rate	0.97%2015-2019	0.83%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	57%
Firearm deaths	5.6 /100k2020	7.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+32%	Declined	17%
Grocery stores	1.7 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	+15%	Improved	84%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.7 /10k2025	+7.2%	Improved	56%
High school diploma or higher	69.7%2015-2019	71.5%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Home price to income ratio	4.1×2015-2019	5.4×2020-2024	+1.3×	Declined	6%
Homicide rate	4.2 /100k2020	3.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−24%	Improved	48%
Income adjusted for local prices	$39,0892019	$54,7592024	+40%	Improved	90%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4702015-2019	0.4662020-2024	−0.004	Within the margin of error	68%
Median household income	$47,6222015-2019	$57,6812020-2024	+21%	Improved	18%
New business applications	4.9 /1k2020	7.2 /1k2025	+48%	Improved	53%
Pharmacies	1.1 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	+8.9%	Improved	87%
Poverty rate	24.1%2015-2019	19.5%2020-2024	−4.6 points	Improved	95%
Property crime rate	1,955 /100k2020	718 /100k2025	−63%	Improved	97%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−9.5%	Declined	12%
Rent as share of income	32.4%2015-2019	31.6%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Rent-burdened households	54.9%2015-2019	53.0%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Restaurants and bars	4.6 /10k2020	4.2 /10k2025	−8.2%	Declined	17%
Suicide rate	6.7 /100k2020	7.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+9%	Declined	40%
Traffic deaths	17.3 /100k2015-2019	18.5 /100k2020-2024	+7.1%	Declined	50%
Unemployment rate	23.2%2020	18.9%2025	−4.3 points	Improved	85%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.0%2015-2019	6.9%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Improved	87%
Violent crime rate	336 /100k2020	267 /100k2025	−21%	Improved	58%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like El Centro, CA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of El Centro, CA metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, El Centro, CA metro area itself moved +5.4 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

180,202 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

49,644 households (±655)

El Centro, CA metro area
United States share

Under $25k22%11,152
$25k–50k21%10,614
$50k–75k17%8,434

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

49,644 households (±655)

El Centro, CA metro area
United States share

Own57%28,210
Rent43%21,434

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

60,888 workers (±1,506)

El Centro, CA metro area
United States share

Drive alone79%48,101
Carpool8.8%5,371
Public transit0.3%†195

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in El Centro, CA employ 22,750 people. 6 pay a median above the US median and 4 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in El Centro, CA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Home Health and Personal Care Aides8,020 jobs	8,020	$34,320US $35,800	−4%	4.42×
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse3,350 jobs	3,350	$35,140US $35,660	−1%	30×
Cashiers1,960 jobs	1,960	$35,090US $32,880	+7%	1.51×
Retail Salespersons1,900 jobs	1,900	$35,490US $35,410	0%	1.16×
Fast Food and Counter Workers1,630 jobs	1,630	$38,840US $31,200	+24%	1.01×
Stockers and Order Fillers1,360 jobs	1,360	$39,450US $37,330	+6%	1.14×
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners1,190 jobs	1,190	$40,450US $36,840	+10%	1.27×
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers1,130 jobs	1,130	$55,140US $58,640	−6%	1.3×
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary1,110 jobs	1,110	$43,970US $36,780	+20%	1.86×
Office Clerks, General1,100 jobs	1,100	$44,500US $45,010	−1%	1.06×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in El Centro, CA.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

El Centro, CA has 2,677 employer establishments, 148 for every 10,000 residents (0.60× the US rate of 248), with 34,323 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,926. The Census Bureau also counts 11,184 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,677; 11,184 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 148; US 248
Paid employees: 34,323
Average annual pay: $46,926; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of El Centro, CA by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	225	12.5	0.68×Fewer than typical	3,792	$24,941	89
Ambulatory health care services	203	11.2	0.54×Fewer than typical	2,876	$60,598	379
Truck transportation	156	8.6	1.71×More than typical	834	$57,707	691
Lessors of real estate	155	8.6	0.70×Fewer than typical	525	$36,777	618
Limited-service restaurants	110	6.1	0.76×Fewer than typical	2,133	$23,906	18
Specialty trade contractors	104	5.8	0.37×Fewer than typical	966	$61,104	551
Clothing and accessories stores	88	4.9	1.34×More than typical	1,648	$19,928	178
Offices of physicians	88	4.9	0.75×Fewer than typical	898	$74,468	48
Full-service restaurants	73	4	0.53×Fewer than typical	1,275	$26,740	35
Automotive repair and maintenance	69	3.8	0.76×Fewer than typical	386	$41,034	225
Gasoline stations	63	3.5	1.08×About typical	721	$29,935	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	60	3.3	0.76×Fewer than typical	210	$56,452	145

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 180,683 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.7B on contracts performed in El Centro, CA metro area: $9,502 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.7B; +94% vs FY2025
Per resident: $9,502; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.8%; US 30%
Single offer: 11%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

U.S. Customs and Border Protection$1.6B95%
Public Buildings Service$36.5M2.1%
Department of the Navy$14.5M0.8%
Defense Logistics Agency$7.6M0.4%
Bureau of Reclamation$7.2M0.4%
Internal Revenue Service$6.8M0.4%
Department of the Army$5.2M0.3%
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$2.5M0.1%

Top recipients

FISHER SAND & GRAVEL CO$996.4M58%
SUNDT CONSTRUCTION, INC.$443.1M26%
HENSEL PHELPS CONSTRUCTION CO$150M8.7%
BARNARD SPENCER JOINT VENTURE$30.9M1.8%
HENSEL PHELPS CONSTRUCTION CO.$29.3M1.7%

Spending by fiscal year

66.1MFY2017
111.1MFY2018
66MFY2019
319.2MFY2020
110.4MFY2021
160.5MFY2022
126.4MFY2023
268.8M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$1.7B96%
Facilities support services · 5612$14.4M0.8%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$10.3M0.6%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$7.6M0.4%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$7.4M0.4%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$7.3M

Largest awards

CONSTRUCTION BORDER BARRIER EL CENTRO, CA$1.2B
FISHER SAND & GRAVEL CO· Imperial County, CA· Construction & real property· Sep 26, 2025 – Mar 10, 2026· 70B01C25F00001112
SOUTHWEST BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION$443.1M
SUNDT CONSTRUCTION, INC.· Imperial County, CA· Construction & real property· May 28, 2026 – May 28, 2026· 70B01C26F00000403
SOUTHWEST BORDER BARRIER DESIGN/BUILD PROJECT ELC-2$345M
FISHER SAND & GRAVEL CO· Imperial County, CA· Construction & real property· May 4, 2026 – May 4, 2026· 70B01C26F00000319
CONSTRUCT/INSTALL 60 MILES OF SYSTEM ATTRIBUTES (DETECTION, LIGHTING, CABLING, ETC..).

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $882.1M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for El Centro, CA metro area: $4,863 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $882.1M; −2.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4,863; US $12,955
Loan face value: $39M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.5%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$458.4M52%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$79.3M9.0%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$70.1M8.0%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$61.4M7.0%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$52.7M6.0%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$26.1M3.0%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$15.1M1.7%
10.427 · Rural Rental Assistance Payments$12.1M1.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

IMPERIAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT$29.2M3.3%
IMPERIAL, CA
IMPERIAL VALLEY HOUSING AUTHORITY$17.3M2.0%
BRAWLEY, CA
QUECHAN INDIAN TRIBE$10.6M1.2%
WINTERHAVEN, CA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CALIFORNIA$10.5M1.2%
SACRAMENTO, CA
CLINICAS DE SALUD DEL PUEBLO, INC

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$642.6M73%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$89.2M10%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$36.3M4.1%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$23.7M2.7%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Bureau of Reclamation$13.6M

Assistance by fiscal year

853.8MFY2021
745.3MFY2022
846.8MFY2023
988.7MFY2024
904.8MFY2025
882.1MFY2026

County aggregates

84%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in El Centro, CA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Imperial CountyCentral county16181,411

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

El CentroPrincipal city44,240

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in California

Areas based in California, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M20940

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved17

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like El Centro, CA metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in El Centro, CA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in California

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved17

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought