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Calexico vs El Centro

8 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (3.9× in Calexico) and jobs per worker (+81% in El Centro).

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Calexico, CAHomes around $394KCalifornia · 38,585 people
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El Centro, CAHomes around $395KCalifornia · 44,240 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

CalexicoHomes around $394K
Housing$394K typical home48% below the CA typical home Health78% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Outdoors#361 most walkable in CA5.9 miles of trails across 19 parks and preserves All about Calexico →
El CentroHomes around $395K
Housing$395K typical home48% below the CA typical home Health77% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Schools#190 for schools in CAof 574 towns All about El Centro →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails3.9×
Calexico has more miles of trail
Calexico 5.9 miEl Centro 1.5 mi
Jobs per worker+81%
El Centro is more of a job hub
El Centro 1.05Calexico 0.58
★ What stands out · Report cards

El Centro places higher on 16 of 26 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
B+CalexicoSafer than 66% of U.S. towns C+El CentroSafer than 38% of U.S. towns
Schools
B−CalexicoBetter than 48% of districts in the state BEl CentroBetter than 61% of districts in the state
Health
C−CalexicoHealthier than 22% of U.S. towns C−El CentroHealthier than 23% of U.S. towns
7Calexico
16El Centro

Lists won, of 26 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #309#163 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #167#305 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #599#376 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #466#669 SafestSafety · 411 towns #40#148 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #639#434 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #299#128 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #302#190

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Calexico’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Calexico$2,350/mo
Typical home $394K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.85% · or rent about $1,093/mo · Housing →
El Centro$2,330/mo
Typical home $395K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $1,052/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
CalexicoEl Centro
Snow a year0″0″
January low—43°F
July high—107°F
Growing season (days)—363d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)89th89th
Outdoors & history
CalexicoEl Centro
Trails6 mi2 mi
Conserved land1.4%1.5%
Settled19081905
National Register places21
Archive photos106
Community
CalexicoEl Centro
Library hours a week20 hrs48 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

8 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

CalexicoEl CentroCalexicoEl Centro
Calexico ↔ El Centro8.0 miles apart
Who commutes between them
2,694 Calexico residents work in El Centro (15.9% of its workers)
1,298 El Centro residents work in Calexico (7.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Calexico →
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

CalexicoEl Centro
People
Population 38,585Lowest 44,240Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.2%Lowest CA: +6.1% +4%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 34.6±1.4Highest 9% below CA 31±1.2Lowest 18% below CA
Kids under 18 27.2%±2.4Lowest CA: 22% 30.3%±2.7Highest CA: 22%
El Centro and Calexico are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.5%±1.7Highest CA: 15.7% 14%±1.4Lowest CA: 15.7%
Calexico and El Centro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 18.9%Highest CA: 37.1% 14.9%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.7%±1.5Highest CA: 7.6% 6%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $49,783±$6kLowest 50% below CA $53,082±$6kHighest 46% below CA
El Centro and Calexico are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $313,600±$18kLowest 57% below CA $323,100±$12kHighest 56% below CA
El Centro and Calexico are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,093±$58Highest 46% below CA $1,052±$63Lowest 48% below CA
Calexico and El Centro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,672Highest 48% below CA $2,567Lowest 50% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.8%±10.4Highest CA: 55.3% 54%±6Lowest CA: 55.3%
Calexico and El Centro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 19.7%Lowest CA: 12% 21.6%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 50.2%Highest CA: 55.9% 49.5%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1993Highest 17 yrs newer than CA 1982Lowest 6 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 10% below CA 22 minLowest 23% below CA
Work from home 7.4%±1.9Highest CA: 17.2% 5.9%±2.1Lowest CA: 17.2%
Calexico and El Centro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 30.4%Lowest 34%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 8.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.58Lowest 1.05Highest
Top workplaceoutside town El Centro (16%)Calexico (7%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 16% work in El Centro7% work in Calexico
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.4%Lowest 1.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 5.9 miHighest 1.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 19Highest 16Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 81.3Highest 68.2Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #302 of 574 in CA#190 of 574 in CA
School district Calexico UnifiedImperial Valley ROP · Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District
High school in town Calexico HighCentral Union High
Students per teacherat that high school 22.3Highest 20.9Lowest
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Calexico neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Calexico’s Town Square.

El Centro neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 5d

New to El Centro

1 neighbor in El Centro can answer.

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Towns like Calexico

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Lompoc43,646 people · $473K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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