HomeCaliforniaImperial CountyEl Centro
El Centro, California: commercial real estate data.
El Centro is a Census city of 44,240 people across 12.12 square miles of land, in Imperial County. Median household income is $53,082, 49.5 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 44 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $42.4 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
El Centro
What El Centro is
- Census place typecity
- Land area12.12 sq mi
- Water area0.02 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land3,651
- County holding the largest share of its areaImperial County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
El Centro
How many people live in El Centro
- Population44,240
- Median age31.0
- Population under 1813,416
- Share under 1830.3 percent
- Population 65 and over6,189
- Share 65 and over14.0 percent
- Households12,890
- Family households9,794
- Share of households that are families76.0 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
El Centro
Income and work in El Centro
- Median household income$53,082
- Per capita income$23,590
- Civilian labor force18,336
- Employed16,527
- Unemployed1,809
- Unemployment rate9.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over26,599
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher73.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher14.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.6 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
El Centro
Housing in El Centro
- Housing units14,656
- Occupied units12,890
- Vacant units1,766
- Vacancy rate12.0 percent
- Owner occupied6,377
- Renter occupied6,513
- Ownership rate49.5 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$323,100
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,052
- Annual rent as a share of median income23.8 percent
- Single family units8,239
- Share single family56.2 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more5,278
- Share in buildings of two or more36.0 percent
- Mobile homes1,096
- Median year structure built1982
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
El Centro
How El Centro gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute15,174
- Commuting under 15 minutes6,495
- Share commuting under 15 minutes42.8 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more3,176
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more20.9 percent
- Drove alone76.7 percent
- Carpooled13.3 percent plus or minus 3.7
- Public transport0.0 percent
- Walked2.1 percent plus or minus 1.2
- Worked from home5.9 percent plus or minus 2.1
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
El Centro
SBA loans in El Centro (7(a))
- Approvals44
- Gross approval$42,371,200
- Average approval$962,982
- Median approval$350,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$3,074,900
- Largest approval$5,000,000
- Jobs supported524
- Jobs per approval11.9
- Loans with a final outcome14
- Paid in full14
- Charged off0
- Median term210 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more50.0 percent
- Share to franchises13.6 percent
- Distinct lenders25
- Distinct industries by NAICS29
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in El Centro, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 14 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
El Centro
SBA loans in El Centro (504)
- Approvals25
- Gross approval$21,820,000
- Average approval$872,800
- Median approval$496,000
- Largest approval$4,812,000
- Jobs supported274
- Loans with a final outcome3
- Charged off0
- Median term300 months
- Distinct CDCs7
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in El Centro, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 3 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
El Centro
Flood risk in El Centro
- NFIP communityCity of El Centro
- NFIP community number060670
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date09/26/08(M)
The City of El Centro participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 060670 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Imperial County, not El Centro
Imperial County context, not El Centro figures
- Establishments in Imperial County2,677
- Covered employment, Imperial County67,166
- Average annual pay, Imperial County$54,639
- Housing units permitted, Imperial County253
Every figure in this section is published for Imperial County as a whole and is not a measurement of El Centro.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
El Centro questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in El Centro, California?
44,240, in 12,890 households. El Centro city covers 12.12 square miles of land, which is 3,651 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is El Centro in?
Imperial County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in El Centro?
$53,082. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $323,100. Median gross rent is $1,052 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to El Centro businesses?
44 7(a) approvals totaling $42.4 m since FY2020, across 25 lenders, median approval $350,000, plus 25 504 approvals worth $21.8 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in El Centro, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to El Centro borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for El Centro. Only 14 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is El Centro in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. El Centro appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as El Centro, city of, community 060670, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page El Centro figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Imperial County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of El Centro.
Is zoning published for El Centro?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.