El Centro is a city in Imperial County, California, home to about 44,240 people across 12 square miles. Its ZIP code is 92243.
Homes sold for a median of $245 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly El Centro; also Seeley and El Centro Naval Air Facility
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside El Centro. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up El Centro’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)90 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Imperial County Airport (IPL)3 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Chula Vista, CA85 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | San Diego, CA90 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of El Centro; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
El Centro had 44,322 residents in the 2020 census, up 17% since 2000.
It’s the 209th largest of 1,563 towns in California by population.
Imperial County grew from 13,591 residents in 1910 to 179,702 in 2020.
Imperial County, 1910–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 107°F in summer, and winter lows average 43°F. About 2.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, El Centro 2 Ssw, CA weather station (2 miles away).
34,323 jobs at 2,677 businesses in Imperial County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
588 doctors and other health care providers list an office in El Centro.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 32 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 69 |
| Dentists | 28 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 102 |
| Mental health providers | 311 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 30 |
| Optometrists | 11 |
| Chiropractors | 5 |
| Pharmacies | 21 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (19 nearby)
Grocery stores (9 nearby)
Pharmacies (6 nearby)
Libraries (2 nearby)
Museums
Counts are within about 2.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1905.
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District, El Centro Elementary, Imperial County Office of Education and others. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballington Academy for the Arts and SciencesEl Centro | K–6 | 230 | Charter | 0.3 mi |
| Booker T. Washington ElementaryEl Centro | K–6 | 351 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| De Anza MagnetEl Centro | K–8 | 504 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Desert Garden ElementaryEl Centro | K–6 | 358 | Public | 1.0 mi |
| Harding ElementaryEl Centro | K–6 | 601 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Imperial County Juvenile Hall/CommunityEl Centro | K–12 | 11 | Alternative Education | 2.6 mi |
| Imperial County Special EducationEl Centro | K–12 | — | Special Education | 2.6 mi |
| Imperial Valley Home School AcademyEl Centro | K–8 | 131 | Charter | 1.0 mi |
| Lincoln ElementaryEl Centro | K–6 | 399 | Public | 0.4 mi |
| Margaret Hedrick ElementaryEl Centro | K–6 | 446 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Martin Luther King Jr. ElementaryEl Centro | K–6 | 445 | Public | 1.2 mi |
| McCabe ElementaryEl Centro | K–8 | 1,109 | Public | 3.1 mi |
| McKinley ElementaryEl Centro | K–6 | 456 | Public | 1.0 mi |
| Meadows ElementaryEl Centro | K–8 | 352 | Public | 5.4 mi |
| Sunflower ElementaryEl Centro | K–6 | 427 | Public | 1.0 mi |
| Valley AcademyEl Centro | K–12 | 205 | Alternative Education | 1.6 mi |
| Kennedy MiddleEl Centro | 7–8 | 434 | Public | 1.0 mi |
| Wilson Jr. HighEl Centro | 7–8 | 605 | Public | 0.2 mi |
| Central Union HighEl Centro | 9–12 | 2,006 | Public | 0.1 mi |
| Desert Oasis High (Continuation)El Centro | 9–12 | 138 | Alternative Education | 1.1 mi |
| Imperial Pathways CharterEl Centro | 9–12 | 246 | Charter | 2.6 mi |
| Imperial Valley ROPEl Centro | 9–12 | — | Career and Technical | 0.5 mi |
| Mt. Signal Virtual AcademyEl Centro | 9–12 | 60 | Alternative Education | 0.1 mi |
| Phoenix Rising HighEl Centro | 9–10 | 20 | Alternative Education | 1.1 mi |
| Southwest HighEl Centro | 9–12 | 1,846 | Public | 1.2 mi |
| El Centro District Wide PreschoolEl Centro | — | — | Public | 0.3 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary S SchoolEl Centro | K–8 | 168 | Roman Catholic | 0.6 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Seeley and El Centro Naval Air Facility.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.