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El Centro vs Calexico

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

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El Centro, CAHomes around $395KCalifornia · 44,240 people
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Calexico, CAHomes around $394KCalifornia · 38,585 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 →
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 →
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
C+El CentroSafer than 38% of U.S. towns B+CalexicoSafer than 66% of U.S. towns
Schools
BEl CentroBetter than 61% of districts in the state B−CalexicoBetter than 48% of districts in the state
Health
C−El CentroHealthier than 23% of U.S. towns C−CalexicoHealthier than 22% of U.S. towns
16El Centro
7Calexico

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

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

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

El Centro$2,330/mo
Typical home $395K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $1,052/mo · Housing →
Calexico$2,350/mo
Typical home $394K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.85% · or rent about $1,093/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
El CentroCalexico
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F—
July high107°F—
Growing season (days)363d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)89th89th
Outdoors & history
El CentroCalexico
Trails2 mi6 mi
Conserved land1.5%1.4%
Settled19051908
National Register places12
Archive photos610
Community
El CentroCalexico
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

8 miles apart

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

El CentroCalexicoEl CentroCalexico
El Centro ↔ Calexico8.0 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.

El CentroCalexico
People
Population 44,240Highest 38,585Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4%Highest CA: +6.1% +0.2%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 31±1.2Lowest 18% below CA 34.6±1.4Highest 9% below CA
Kids under 18 30.3%±2.7Highest CA: 22% 27.2%±2.4Lowest 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+ 14%±1.4Lowest CA: 15.7% 16.5%±1.7Highest 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+ 14.9%Lowest CA: 37.1% 18.9%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6% 8.7%±1.5Highest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $53,082±$6kHighest 46% below CA $49,783±$6kLowest 50% 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 $323,100±$12kHighest 56% below CA $313,600±$18kLowest 57% 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 $1,052±$63Lowest 48% below CA $1,093±$58Highest 46% 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 $2,567Lowest 50% below CA $2,672Highest 48% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54%±6Lowest CA: 55.3% 59.8%±10.4Highest 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 21.6%Highest CA: 12% 19.7%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 49.5%Lowest CA: 55.9% 50.2%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 6 yrs newer than CA 1993Highest 17 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 23% below CA 26 minHighest 10% below CA
Work from home 5.9%±2.1Lowest CA: 17.2% 7.4%±1.9Highest 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 34%Highest 30.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 9.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.05Highest 0.58Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Calexico (7%)El Centro (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 7% work in Calexico16% work in El Centro
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.5%Highest 1.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 1.5 miLowest 5.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Lowest 19Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 68.2Lowest 81.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #190 of 574 in CA#302 of 574 in CA
School district Imperial Valley ROP · Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences DistrictCalexico Unified
High school in town Central Union HighCalexico High
Students per teacherat that high school 20.9Lowest 22.3Highest
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.

Calexico neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Calexico’s Town Square.

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Bordering El Centro

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Imperial21,430 people · $361K homes

Towns like El Centro

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Porterville63,157 people · $286K homes
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Atwater32,162 people · $363K homes
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Brawley27,283 people · $291K 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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