Housing data for El Cajon, CA
El Cajon, CA has an estimated 104,449 residents and 35,185 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in San Diego County.
58.5% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,856 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+1.2%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 104,449 (±64)
- Housing units
- 35,185 (±811)
- Households that rent
- 58.5%
- Median gross rent
- $1,856
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +1.2%
What stands out in El Cajon
Median household income: $67,511 (±$4,257) in El Cajon, lower than in San Diego County ($106,268).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 41.4% (±2.5 points) in El Cajon, higher than in San Diego County (29.5%).
Working from home: 11.4% (±1.4 points) in El Cajon, lower than in San Diego County (18.7%).
Households that rent: 58.5% (±1.9 points) in El Cajon, higher than in San Diego County (45.4%).
- Income and affordability in El Cajon
- Types of homes in El Cajon
- Commute and cars in El Cajon
- Renters and owners in El Cajon
Housing in El Cajon at a glance
- Median rent: $1,856 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,951 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 70.1% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 58.5% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $67,511 median household income
- Home values: $681,700 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $2,722 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $4,533 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 41.4% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 40.9% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 67.5% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 2.6% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 47.1% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 24.8 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 459 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: +1.2% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 26.1% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 12.9% of homes have more than 1 person per room
- Fair Market Rent: $2,510 Small Area FMR, 2 bedrooms (ZIP 92020)
El Cajon against San Diego County, its state and the nation
| El Cajon | San Diego County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 104,449 (±64) | 3,288,774 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 35,185 (±811) | 1,250,641 (±516) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 58.5% (±1.9 points) | 45.4% (±0.3 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,856 (±$27) | $2,246 (±$11) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $67,511 (±$4,257) | $106,268 (±$949) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $681,700 (±$18,389) | $854,700 (±$3,996) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $4,533 (±$215) | $5,774 (±$47) | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 67.5% (±3.4 points) | 49.4% (±0.5 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 24.8 minutes (±0.9) | 25.5 minutes (±0.2) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 93.6% (±1.0 points) | 94.9% (±0.2 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 36.1 years (±0.9) | 37.3 years (±0.1) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
El Cajon covers 14.5 square miles of land, about 7,198 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How El Cajon has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 103,186 (±53) | 104,449 (±64) | +1.2% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 34,128 (±669) | 35,185 (±811) | +3.1% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $1,339 (±$20) | $1,856 (±$27) | +38.6% | Up after inflation |
| Median home value | $445,600 (±$7,834) | $681,700 (±$18,389) | +53.0% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $55,309 (±$2,116) | $67,511 (±$4,257) | +22.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $2,250 (±$71) | $2,722 (±$111) | +21.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $3,049 (±$166) | $4,533 (±$215) | +48.7% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 60.2% (±1.7 points) | 58.5% (±1.9 points) | −1.7 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 2.1% (±0.9 points) | 2.6% (±1.0 points) | +0.5 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in El Cajon
In 2025, the El Cajon Police Department reported 459 violent and 1,228 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across San Diego County, the departments that report recorded 316 violent and 1,155 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
ZIP codes in El Cajon
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92020 | 79% | 57,842 | $1,865 | $813,100 | $76,032 |
| 92021 | 11% | 70,501 | $1,893 | $611,900 | $74,013 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near El Cajon
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bostonia | 1.6 mi | $2,087 | $487,600 | 57.7% |
| Casa de Oro-Mount Helix | 2.7 mi | $1,973 | $952,400 | 21.5% |
| Winter Gardens | 3.2 mi | $1,913 | $608,600 | 36.5% |
| Granite Hills | 3.2 mi | $1,959 | $974,500 | 12.5% |
| Rancho San Diego | 3.6 mi | $2,618 | $905,300 | 24.9% |
| Santee | 4.0 mi | $2,250 | $727,200 | 27.6% |
| La Mesa | 4.2 mi | $2,049 | $812,000 | 52.3% |
| Lakeside | 5.0 mi | $2,016 | $634,400 | 31.5% |
Places in California most like El Cajon
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National City | $1,692 | $612,200 | $66,841 | 65.3% |
| Arden-Arcade | $1,588 | $560,200 | $77,321 | 53.8% |
| Inglewood | $1,787 | $792,800 | $72,750 | 63.8% |
| Bellflower | $1,830 | $705,700 | $78,722 | 60.7% |
| Long Beach | $1,871 | $806,600 | $87,430 | 58.8% |
| La Mesa | $2,049 | $812,000 | $95,028 | 52.3% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across California.
HUD Fair Market Rent for El Cajon, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,192 | $2,335 | $2,823 | $3,743 | $4,526 |
HUD also publishes a Small Area Fair Market Rent for each ZIP code in the area; the Fair Market Rent page for this place lists its ZIP codes.
HUD income limits for El Cajon, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $36,750 | $61,250 | $97,950 |
| 2 people | $42,000 | $70,000 | $111,950 |
| 3 people | $47,250 | $78,750 | $125,950 |
| 4 people | $52,450 | $87,450 | $139,900 |
| 5 people | $56,650 | $94,450 | $151,100 |
| 6 people | $60,850 | $101,450 | $162,300 |
| 7 people | $65,050 | $108,450 | $173,500 |
| 8 people | $69,250 | $115,450 | $184,700 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $130,900.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about El Cajon
What is the average rent in El Cajon, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in El Cajon is $1,856 (±$27) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in El Cajon?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in El Cajon, CA is $1,650 (±$43) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in El Cajon rent-burdened?
70.1% of renting households in El Cajon pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in El Cajon?
El Cajon has an estimated 19,824 (±793) renting households, 58.5% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in El Cajon?
The median household income in El Cajon is $67,511 (±$4,257) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in El Cajon, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $681,700 (±$18,389) for owner-occupied homes in El Cajon (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is El Cajon growing?
In El Cajon, the number of residents went from 103,186 in 2015–2019 to 104,449 in 2020–2024 (+1.2%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in El Cajon?
The ZIP codes that cover El Cajon are 92020, 92021.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 92020?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 92020 is $1,865 (±$35) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — El Cajon city, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — El Cajon city, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — El Cajon city, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — El Cajon city, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — El Cajon city, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — El Cajon city, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — El Cajon city, California
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: El Cajon Police Department (ORI CA0370500)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for El Cajon city, California (place:21712, in state:06).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .