What percentage of people rent in El Centro, CA?

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

50.5% (±3.0 points) of the occupied homes in El Centro, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 6,513 renting households against 6,377 that own their home.

In El Centro, the share of households that rent went from 49.2% in 2015–2019 to 50.5% in 2020–2024 (+1.3 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 50.5% (±3.0 points)
Renting households: 6,513 (±482)
Median renter income: $40,766 (±$3,736)

Who rents and who owns in El Centro

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	El Centro	Imperial County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	50.5% (±3.0 points)	43.2% (±2.0 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	6,513 (±482)	21,434 (±1,041)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	6,377 (±469)	28,210 (±1,091)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	3.4 (±0.2)	3.4 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	3.4 (±0.2)	3.6 (±0.1)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
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

In El Centro, the renter share is higher than in Imperial County (43.2%).

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

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

In Imperial County, El Centro ranks 2 of 11 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 165 of 1,076.

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

How renting in El Centro 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	49.2% (±2.5 points)	50.5% (±3.0 points)	+1.3 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$803 (±$34)	$1,052 (±$63)	+31.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$47,864 (±$2,685)	$53,082 (±$5,563)	+10.9%	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 Centro

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with El Centro
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
El Centro	—	50.5% (±3.0 points)	—
Imperial	3.7 mi	30.5% (±6.7 points)	Lower
Heber	4.1 mi	32.0% (±10.3 points)	Lower
Seeley	7.3 mi	48.5% (±21.0 points)	Not measurably different
Calexico	8.0 mi	49.8% (±4.6 points)	Not measurably different
Holtville	11 mi	50.1% (±8.2 points)	Not measurably different
Brawley	13 mi	48.4% (±4.6 points)	Not measurably different
Westmorland	18 mi	51.3% (±11.6 points)	Not measurably different
Calipatria	27 mi	35.9% (±14.5 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Imperial, CA (30.5%), Heber, CA (32.0%).

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

Households that rent across Imperial County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Westmorland	51.3% (±11.6 points)
2	El Centro	50.5% (±3.0 points)
3	Holtville	50.1% (±8.2 points)
4	Calexico	49.8% (±4.6 points)
5	Seeley	48.5% (±21.0 points)
6	Brawley	48.4% (±4.6 points)
7	Niland	45.5% (±36.1 points)
8	Calipatria	35.9% (±14.5 points)

Showing 8 of 11 places in Imperial 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 Centro

How many renters are there in El Centro?

El Centro has an estimated 6,513 (±482) renting households, 50.5% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in El Centro?

In El Centro, the share of households that rent went from 49.2% in 2015–2019 to 50.5% in 2020–2024 (+1.3 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in El Centro?

A renting household in El Centro has 3.4 people on average, against 3.4 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in El Centro?

The median renting household in El Centro, CA has an income of $40,766 (±$3,736) a year, against $81,597 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 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 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.