What percentage of people rent in El Cajon, CA?

Name: Renters and owners in El Cajon, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

58.5% (±1.9 points) of the occupied homes in El Cajon, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 19,824 renting households against 14,066 that own their home.

In El Cajon, the share of households that rent went from 60.2% in 2015–2019 to 58.5% in 2020–2024 (−1.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 58.5% (±1.9 points)
Renting households: 19,824 (±793)
Median renter income: $50,981 (±$3,524)

Who rents and who owns in El Cajon

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	El Cajon	San Diego County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	58.5% (±1.9 points)	45.4% (±0.3 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	19,824 (±793)	532,140 (±3,919)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	14,066 (±770)	639,138 (±4,528)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	3.0 (±0.1)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.9 (±0.1)	2.8 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$50,981 (±$3,524)	$78,016 (±$867)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$109,616 (±$6,996)	$137,988 (±$1,510)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In El Cajon, the renter share is higher than in San Diego County (45.4%).

It is also higher than in California (44.1%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In San Diego County, El Cajon ranks 5 of 50 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 90 of 1,076.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in El Cajon has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	60.2% (±1.7 points)	58.5% (±1.9 points)	−1.7 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,339 (±$20)	$1,856 (±$27)	+38.6%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$55,309 (±$2,116)	$67,511 (±$4,257)	+22.1%	No measurable change after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near El Cajon

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with El Cajon
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
El Cajon	—	58.5% (±1.9 points)	—
Bostonia	1.6 mi	57.7% (±4.9 points)	Not measurably different
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix	2.7 mi	21.5% (±3.1 points)	Lower
Winter Gardens	3.2 mi	36.5% (±4.1 points)	Lower
Granite Hills	3.2 mi	12.5% (±8.7 points)	Lower
Rancho San Diego	3.6 mi	24.9% (±3.4 points)	Lower
Santee	4.0 mi	27.6% (±2.2 points)	Lower
La Mesa	4.2 mi	52.3% (±2.3 points)	Lower
Lakeside	5.0 mi	31.5% (±4.8 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, CA (21.5%), Winter Gardens, CA (36.5%), Granite Hills, CA (12.5%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across San Diego County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Camp Pendleton Mainside	100.0% (±3.8 points)
2	Camp Pendleton South	99.1% (±1.5 points)
3	Imperial Beach	68.7% (±3.6 points)
4	National City	65.3% (±2.7 points)
5	El Cajon	58.5% (±1.9 points)
6	Bostonia	57.7% (±4.9 points)
7	San Diego	52.7% (±0.5 points)
8	La Mesa	52.3% (±2.3 points)
9	Vista	48.3% (±1.9 points)
10	Lemon Grove	47.5% (±4.2 points)
11	Del Mar	46.8% (±10.2 points)

Showing 11 of 50 places in San Diego County, ranked from highest to lowest.

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

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).

Is renting growing in El Cajon?

In El Cajon, the share of households that rent went from 60.2% in 2015–2019 to 58.5% in 2020–2024 (−1.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in El Cajon?

A renting household in El Cajon has 3.0 people on average, against 2.9 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in El Cajon?

The median renting household in El Cajon, CA has an income of $50,981 (±$3,524) a year, against $109,616 for households that own their home.

Sources

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) 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 DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.