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El Centro vs Brawley

13 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+40% in El Centro) and trails (+88% in El Centro).

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El Centro, CAHomes around $395KCalifornia · 44,240 people
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Brawley, CAHomes around $360KCalifornia · 27,283 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.

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 →
BrawleyHomes around $360K
Housing$360K typical home53% below the CA typical home SchoolsBetter than 53%of CA districts Health78% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Brawley →
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.

Property tax bill+40%
Tax bills are bigger in El Centro
El Centro $2,567Brawley $1,829
Trails+88%
El Centro has more miles of trail
El Centro 1.5 miBrawley 0.8 mi
Jobs per worker+62%
El Centro is more of a job hub
El Centro 1.05Brawley 0.65
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $250 more a month in El Centro

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.

El Centro$2,330/mo
Typical home $395K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $1,052/mo · Housing →
Brawley$2,080/mo
Typical home $360K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $988/mo · Housing →

The difference: $250 a month, about $3,000 a year, between El Centro and Brawley.

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.

Report cards

Brawley places higher on 14 of 24 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
C+El CentroSafer than 38% of U.S. towns –BrawleyNot graded
Schools
BEl CentroBetter than 61% of districts in the state B−BrawleyBetter than 53% of districts in the state
Health
C−El CentroHealthier than 23% of U.S. towns C−BrawleyHealthier than 22% of U.S. towns
6El Centro
14Brawley

Lists won, of 24 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #305#87 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #190#456 Most remote workersWork · 801 towns #666#471 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #376#211 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #163#71 Most-used librariesLibraries · 117 towns #91#115 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #604#503 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #184#288

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

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
El CentroBrawley
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F41°F
July high107°F108°F
Growing season (days)363d335d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)89th91st
Outdoors & history
El CentroBrawley
Trails2 mi1 mi
Conserved land1.5%2.6%
Settled1905—
National Register places1—
Archive photos624
Famous people born here—24
Community
El CentroBrawley
Library hours a week48 hrs20 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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

13 miles apart

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

El CentroBrawleyEl CentroBrawley
El Centro ↔ Brawley13 miles apart
Who commutes between them
1,418 Brawley residents work in El Centro (13.3% of its workers)
911 El Centro residents work in Brawley (5.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Brawley →
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.

El CentroBrawley
People
Population 44,240Highest 27,283Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4%Lowest CA: +6.1% +5.9%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 31±1.2Highest 18% below CA 30.6±1.4Lowest 19% below CA
El Centro and Brawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 30.3%±2.7 CA: 22% 30.3%±3.2 CA: 22%
Age 65+ 14%±1.4Highest CA: 15.7% 11.2%±1.7Lowest CA: 15.7%
El Centro and Brawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 14.9%Lowest CA: 37.1% 15.9%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6% 7.2%±1.5Highest CA: 7.6%
Brawley and El Centro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $53,082±$6kLowest 46% below CA $59,311±$6kHighest 40% below CA
Brawley and El Centro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $323,100±$12kHighest 56% below CA $290,700±$20kLowest 60% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,052±$63Highest 48% below CA $988±$62Lowest 51% below CA
El Centro and Brawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,567Highest 50% below CA $1,829Lowest 64% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54%±6Highest CA: 55.3% 49%±8.9Lowest CA: 55.3%
El Centro and Brawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 21.6%Highest CA: 12% 21.3%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 49.5%Lowest CA: 55.9% 51.6%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 6 yrs newer than CA 1985Highest 9 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 23% below CA 18 minLowest 37% below CA
Work from home 5.9%±2.1Lowest CA: 17.2% 11.1%±3.4Highest CA: 17.2%
Brawley and El Centro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 34%Highest 26.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 13.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.05Highest 0.65Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Calexico (7%)El Centro (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in Brawley13% work in El Centro
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.5%Lowest 2.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.5 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 mi 0.1 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 15Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 68.2Lowest 78.4Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #190 of 574 in CA#456 of 574 in CA
School district Imperial Valley ROP · Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences DistrictBrawley Elementary · Brawley Union High
High school in town Central Union HighBrawley Union High
Students per teacherat that high school 20.9Lowest 23.2Highest
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.

El Centro neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 5d

New to El Centro

1 neighbor in El Centro can answer.

Brawley neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brawley’s Town Square.

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Bordering El Centro

+ Compare
Imperial21,430 people · $361K homes

Towns like El Centro

+ Compare
Porterville63,157 people · $286K homes
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Atwater32,162 people · $363K homes
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Calexico38,585 people · $314K homes
D
+ Compare
Desert Hot Springs33,200 people · $355K 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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