Hot desert
El Centro, California
Imperial County, California · Population 44k · -46 ft elevation
Living in El Centro
El Centro has a hot desert climate: scorching summers (July highs around 107°F) and mild winters (January lows around 44°F).
Precipitation is very dry at about 3″ a year, and it essentially never sees snow.
Skies are exceptionally sunny (90% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is poor: a median AQI of 64, with about 44 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
El Centro at a glance
- Population
- 44k
- Elevation
- -46 ft
- Average daily high
- 89°F100th percentile
- Average daily low
- 60°F91th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 3″0th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 0″0th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,997 hrs100th percentile
- Median AQI
- 6496th percentile
- Median home value
- $291k56th percentile
- Median rent
- $992/mo33th percentile
- Median household income
- $56k24th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.86%41th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 13.3%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 8.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 9.9%
- Homes with broadband
- 93%62th percentile
- Walkability index
- 11.072th percentile
- Average commute
- 23 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 37%34th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 47%
- Violent crime rate
- 247 per 100k64th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 944 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9668th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 7473th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 0%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 42%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 1,411 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 71°F | 44°F | 0.4″ | — | 263 hrs |
| Feb | 74°F | 47°F | 0.4″ | — | 257 hrs |
| Mar | 80°F | 52°F | 0.3″ | — | 326 hrs |
| Apr | 87°F | 57°F | 0.1″ | — | 356 hrs |
| May | 94°F | 63°F | 0.0″ | — | 407 hrs |
| Jun | 103°F | 71°F | 0.0″ | — | 410 hrs |
| Jul | 107°F | 78°F | 0.1″ | — | 401 hrs |
| Aug | 107°F | 79°F | 0.2″ | — | 385 hrs |
| Sep | 102°F | 73°F | 0.3″ | — | 345 hrs |
| Oct | 92°F | 62°F | 0.2″ | — | 322 hrs |
| Nov | 79°F | 51°F | 0.2″ | — | 274 hrs |
| Dec | 70°F | 43°F | 0.4″ | — | 253 hrs |
Near El Centro
- Imperial, CA · 21k
- Heber, CA · 7.3k
- Calexico, CA · 38k
- Holtville, CA · 5.6k
- Brawley, CA · 27k
- Calipatria, CA · 6.5k
- Salton City, CA · 6.2k
- Campo, CA · 2.7k
Largest places in California
- Los Angeles, CA · 3.9M
- San Diego, CA · 1.4M
- San Jose, CA · 990k
- San Francisco, CA · 836k
- Fresno, CA · 544k
- Sacramento, CA · 525k
- Long Beach, CA · 458k
- Oakland, CA · 438k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology