Living in El Centro

El Centro is a large place in California, United States, home to 43,956 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are first-time home buyers (top 62%, #4,930 of 8,006), movers on a budget (top 68%, #8,141 of 12,111), business owners (top 70%, #8,391 of 12,111).

Residents43,956

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport134 km (General Abelardo L. Rodriguez International)

Nearest city of 100k+18 km

Within 30 km141,700 people

Lake shore29 km (Lake Salada)

Climate typeHot desert (BWh)

Terrain around itabout 0 m, height range 60 m

Main railway lineunder 1 km

Border with Mexico16 km

Distance to Washington, D.C.3,514 km

Within 10 km65,326 people

Winter daylight9 h 59 min, sunset 1:40

See El Centro on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about El Centro

On the shortest day the sun is up for 9 h 59 min and sets around 1:40; in late June it sets around 4:53.

How El Centro ranks

Scores run 0 to 100 against every municipality in United States. Ranks count only the places that pass each profile's minimums, so the totals differ by profile. Local data: official statistics on affordability, green space, education and family, health and elderly, jobs and economy, lifestyle and amenities, mobility and connectivity and safety and community (local or regional figures, sources on every place page) plus population and geography.

Profile	Score	In United States	In California
Young family	22	#11,172 of 11,898	#664 of 863	Map
Low-income household	29	#7,166 of 9,771	#14 of 775	Map
Low-income family	24	#7,422 of 8,006	#354 of 709	Map
Single parent	27	#5,908 of 6,237	#432 of 612	Map
Pensioner couple	53	#7,353 of 9,474	#583 of 760	Map
Single pensioner	48	#7,526 of 9,474	#595 of 760	Map
Early retiree	51	#8,442 of 10,762	#713 of 811	Map
Single professional	22	#4,285 of 4,537	#492 of 532	Map
Young professional	26	#4,230 of 4,444	#497 of 527	Map
DINKS	25	#2,965 of 3,053	#412 of 420	Map
Remote worker	54	#5,134 of 7,271	#287 of 648	Map
Commuter	44	#5,995 of 6,227	#596 of 645	Map
Car-free household	39	#3,289 of 3,933	#426 of 490	Map
Student	63	#1,521 of 2,119	#219 of 267	Map
First-home buyer	39	#4,930 of 8,006	#34 of 709	Map
Budget-constrained mover	33	#8,141 of 12,111	#7 of 862	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	29	#3,457 of 4,114	#444 of 506	Map
Expat professional	32	#5,673 of 7,271	#581 of 648	Map
Healthcare-first mover	42	#7,652 of 9,474	#618 of 760	Map
Nature-focused household	21	#16,772 of 18,063	#547 of 1060	Map
Cross-border commuter		not ranked: must-have: a border within 45 km where pay is higher on the other side	–	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	0	#15,985 of 16,523	#922 of 1020	Map
Rural value seeker	18	#16,130 of 18,063	#223 of 1060	Map
High-net-worth mover	48	#8,691 of 16,523	#741 of 1020	Map
Lottery winner	50	#6,438 of 21,167	#626 of 1147	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	51	#10,931 of 12,111	#665 of 862	Map
Coastal living	51	#6,157 of 6,413	#467 of 490	Map
Business owner	32	#8,391 of 12,111	#709 of 862	Map
Digital native	36	#3,682 of 4,750	#425 of 551	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)81
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)81
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)79
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)75
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)65
Foundation62
Mobility and connectivity62
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)55
Lifestyle and amenities55
Sea or lake shore53
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)52
Health and elderly46
Flat land (terrain relief)44
Affordability34
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)32
Safety and community31
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)23
Jobs and economy18
Green space17
Education and family13
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)2
Port access (major sea or inland port)0
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)0
National border nearby (straight line)0
Financial centre (banking and capital markets) within commuting distance0
Commodity-trading or gold hub within commuting distance0
Crypto hub within commuting distance0
Wealth-management centre within commuting distance0

Nearby

Data: Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024; locations EDJNet LAU centres; airports OurAirports; coastline Natural Earth. Updated 2026-10-31. Rankings are decision aids, not advice.