Hot desert
Imperial, California
Imperial County, California · Population 21k · -62 ft elevation
Living in Imperial
Imperial has a hot desert climate: scorching summers (July highs around 108°F) and mild winters (January lows around 42°F).
Precipitation is very dry at about 2″ 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.
Imperial is an outdoor hub: about 47% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 1,100 ft around town.
Imperial at a glance
- Population
- 21k
- Elevation
- -62 ft
- Average daily high
- 89°F100th percentile
- Average daily low
- 59°F90th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 2″0th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 0″0th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,998 hrs100th percentile
- Median AQI
- 6496th percentile
- Median home value
- $345k65th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,396/mo62th percentile
- Median household income
- $83k59th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.96%49th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 13.3%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 8.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 8.5%
- Homes with broadband
- 89%38th percentile
- Walkability index
- 8.448th percentile
- Average commute
- 18 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 36%33th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 60%
- Violent crime rate
- 98 per 100k30th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 84 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9668th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9191th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 31%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 47%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 1,115 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 71°F | 42°F | 0.4″ | — | 263 hrs |
| Feb | 74°F | 45°F | 0.4″ | — | 257 hrs |
| Mar | 80°F | 51°F | 0.3″ | — | 326 hrs |
| Apr | 86°F | 56°F | 0.1″ | — | 356 hrs |
| May | 94°F | 62°F | 0.1″ | — | 407 hrs |
| Jun | 104°F | 70°F | 0.0″ | — | 411 hrs |
| Jul | 108°F | 78°F | 0.1″ | — | 401 hrs |
| Aug | 108°F | 79°F | 0.1″ | — | 385 hrs |
| Sep | 102°F | 72°F | 0.2″ | — | 345 hrs |
| Oct | 90°F | 60°F | 0.2″ | — | 322 hrs |
| Nov | 78°F | 48°F | 0.2″ | — | 273 hrs |
| Dec | 69°F | 41°F | 0.3″ | — | 252 hrs |
Near Imperial
- El Centro, CA · 44k
- Heber, CA · 7.3k
- Brawley, CA · 27k
- Holtville, CA · 5.6k
- Calexico, CA · 38k
- Calipatria, CA · 6.5k
- Salton City, CA · 6.2k
- North Shore, CA · 3.4k
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