Work & commute · Imperial

Work & commute in Imperial, CA

Most working residents leave Imperial for work: only 12% work in town. The top destinations are El Centro (27%), Brawley (7%) and Calexico (5%). Half commute less than 10 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

12%

1,104 of 8,843 working residents

Typical commute

10 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 7,739 Imperial residents head out of town to work, 1,104 work right here, and 3,382 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Imperial.

7,739live here, work elsewhere

1,104live and work here

3,382work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Imperial goes to work

El Centro3.7 mi away

27%2,419

Imperial (in town)right here

12%1,104

Brawley10 mi away

7%617

Calexico11.5 mi away

5%484

San Diego89.9 mi away

4%324

Calipatria23.3 mi away

4%317

Los Angeles182.9 mi away

3%223

Heber7.8 mi away

1%98

Yuma, AZ64.9 mi away

1%85

Holtville11.4 mi away

1%73

Everywhere elseother towns and states

35%3,099

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Imperial commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

51%

19%

30%

51%Under 10 mi

19%10–24 mi

1%25–50 mi

30%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Imperial is a commuter town

0.51jobs per working resident

A commuter town

0.51 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Imperial are

4,486 jobs are based in Imperial. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Imperial’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Imperial

4,486 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)9%

Trade, transport & utilities36%

Services (health, schools, offices…)55%

$1,250 a month or less9%

$1,251–$3,333 a month28%

Over $3,333 a month62%

Jobs Imperial residents hold

8,843 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)16%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)64%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month58%

+45%

Jobs based in Imperial, 2013 → 2023: 3,086 → 4,486. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.