What is the rental vacancy rate in El Cajon, CA?

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

The rental vacancy rate in El Cajon, CA is 2.6% (±1.0 points) (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

The homeowner vacancy rate is 0.5% (±0.5 points).

1,295 (±282) homes, 3.7% of all housing units, were vacant, a count that includes seasonal homes and homes being sold or rented.

In El Cajon, the rental vacancy rate went from 2.1% in 2015–2019 to 2.6% in 2020–2024 (+0.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Rental vacancy rate: 2.6% (±1.0 points)
Homeowner vacancy rate: 0.5% (±0.5 points)
Vacant homes: 1,295 (±282)

Vacancy in El Cajon against San Diego County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	El Cajon	San Diego County	California	United States
Rental vacancy rate	2.6% (±1.0 points)	3.9% (±0.3 points)	4.2% (±0.1 points)	5.5%
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.5% (±0.5 points)	0.7% (±0.1 points)	0.8% (±0.1 points)	0.9%
Vacant housing units	1,295 (±282)	79,363 (±2,892)	1,096,644 (±18,928)	14,547,859

The rental vacancy rate is the share of rental homes that are vacant and for rent; it leaves out homes already rented but not yet moved into, and seasonal homes.

In El Cajon, the rental vacancy rate is lower than in San Diego County (3.9%).

It is also lower than in California (4.2%).

It is lower than the national figure (5.5%).

Rental vacancy rate in places near El Cajon

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with El Cajon
Place	Distance	Rental vacancy rate	Compared with this place
El Cajon	—	2.6% (±1.0 points)	—
Bostonia	1.6 mi	0.0% (±1.3 points)	Lower
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix	2.7 mi	11.9% (±10.1 points)	Not measurably different
Winter Gardens	3.2 mi	6.4% (±5.0 points)	Not measurably different
Granite Hills	3.2 mi	0.0% (±25.1 points)	Not measurably different
Rancho San Diego	3.6 mi	8.9% (±4.6 points)	Higher
Santee	4.0 mi	0.4% (±0.5 points)	Lower
La Mesa	4.2 mi	3.1% (±1.7 points)	Not measurably different
Lakeside	5.0 mi	2.4% (±3.9 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Bostonia, CA (0.0%), Santee, CA (0.4%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Rancho San Diego, CA (8.9%).

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

Rental vacancy rate across San Diego County, place by place

Rank	Place	Rental vacancy rate
19 (tie)	Oceanside	3.8% (±1.0 points)
21	Camp Pendleton Mainside	3.7% (±6.4 points)
22	Carlsbad	3.6% (±1.3 points)
23	Vista	3.2% (±1.4 points)
24	La Mesa	3.1% (±1.7 points)
25 (tie)	Coronado	2.6% (±2.1 points)
25 (tie)	El Cajon	2.6% (±1.0 points)
27 (tie)	Lakeside	2.4% (±3.9 points)
27 (tie)	Ramona	2.4% (±3.9 points)
29 (tie)	Chula Vista	2.2% (±0.6 points)
29 (tie)	La Presa	2.2% (±1.9 points)
31	National City	2.1% (±1.2 points)
32 (tie)	Imperial Beach	1.8% (±1.1 points)

Showing 13 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

Is it hard to find a rental in El Cajon?

The rental vacancy rate in El Cajon, CA is 2.6% (±1.0 points); a low rate means few rental homes stand empty and for rent at any time, which usually means more competition for each one.

Is the rental market in El Cajon tighter than it was?

In El Cajon, the rental vacancy rate went from 2.1% in 2015–2019 to 2.6% in 2020–2024 (+0.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How many homes are vacant in El Cajon?

An estimated 1,295 (±282) housing units, 3.7% of the total, including seasonal homes and homes waiting to be sold or rented.

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) 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_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M, DP04_0004E, DP04_0004M, DP04_0003E, DP04_0003M, DP04_0003PE, DP04_0003PM

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.