What is the median household income in El Centro, CA?

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

The median household income in El Centro, CA is $53,082 (±$5,563) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Paying the median gross rent of $1,052 a month would take about $42,100 a year at the common guideline of spending no more than 30% of income on rent.

In El Centro, the median household income went from $47,864 in 2015–2019 to $53,082 in 2020–2024 (+10.9%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median household income: $53,082 (±$5,563)
Median renter income: $40,766 (±$3,736)
Income to afford median rent: about $42,100

Income in El Centro against Imperial County, its state and the nation

Income, estimate (90% margin of error)
	El Centro	Imperial County	California	United States
Median household income	$53,082 (±$5,563)	$57,681 (±$2,564)	$99,122 (±$310)	$80,734
Median renter household income	$40,766 (±$3,736)	$38,992 (±$2,428)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$81,597 (±$10,505)	$80,037 (±$5,437)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009
Median gross rent	$1,052 (±$63)	$1,056 (±$30)	$2,036 (±$5)	$1,413

In El Centro, median household income is not measurably different from Imperial County ($57,681).

It is also lower than in California ($99,122).

It is lower than the national figure ($80,734).

In Imperial County, El Centro ranks 7 of 10 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median household income.

Statewide, it ranks 961 of 1,069.

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

How much you need to earn to rent in El Centro

Many landlords and housing programs use 30% of gross income as the most a household should spend on rent.

At that guideline, the median gross rent of $1,052 a month ($12,624 a year) needs an income of about $42,100 a year.

The median renting household in El Centro earns $40,766 a year, less than that.

This is arithmetic on the published medians, not a rule any landlord must follow; screening criteria vary and some places limit how income may be weighed.

Income against housing costs since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median household income	$47,864 (±$2,685)	$53,082 (±$5,563)	+10.9%	No measurable change after inflation
Median gross rent	$803 (±$34)	$1,052 (±$63)	+31.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Median home value	$192,600 (±$9,694)	$323,100 (±$11,809)	+67.8%	Up 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.

Median household income in places near El Centro

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with El Centro
Place	Distance	Median household income	Compared with this place
El Centro	—	$53,082 (±$5,563)	—
Imperial	3.7 mi	$90,195 (±$7,757)	Higher
Heber	4.1 mi	$72,028 (±$11,357)	Higher
Seeley	7.3 mi	$62,841 (±$37,795)	Not measurably different
Calexico	8.0 mi	$49,783 (±$6,233)	Not measurably different
Holtville	11 mi	$65,039 (±$26,709)	Not measurably different
Brawley	13 mi	$59,311 (±$6,287)	Not measurably different
Westmorland	18 mi	$28,839 (±$21,592)	Lower
Calipatria	27 mi	$53,299 (±$10,641)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Westmorland, CA ($28,839).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Imperial, CA ($90,195), Heber, CA ($72,028).

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

Median household income across Imperial County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median household income
1	Imperial	$90,195 (±$7,757)
2	Heber	$72,028 (±$11,357)
3	Holtville	$65,039 (±$26,709)
4	Seeley	$62,841 (±$37,795)
5	Brawley	$59,311 (±$6,287)
6	Calipatria	$53,299 (±$10,641)
7	El Centro	$53,082 (±$5,563)
8	Calexico	$49,783 (±$6,233)
9	Salton City	$47,827 (±$17,436)
10	Westmorland	$28,839 (±$21,592)

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 Centro

What is the median household income in El Centro?

The median household income in El Centro is $53,082 (±$5,563) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How much do you need to make to afford rent in El Centro?

About $42,100 a year, if rent is to stay at or below 30% of income at the median gross rent of $1,052 a month.

Have incomes in El Centro kept up with inflation?

In El Centro, the median household income went from $47,864 in 2015–2019 to $53,082 in 2020–2024 (+10.9%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

What do renters earn in El Centro?

The median renting household in El Centro, CA earns $40,766 (±$3,736) a year.

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 Centro city, California (place:21782, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B19013_001E, B19013_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B25077_001E, B25077_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M

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.