El Cerrito City is a city in Contra Costa County, California, home to about 25,994 people across 3.7 square miles. Its ZIP code is 94530.
Homes sold for a median of $771 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly El Cerrito City; also Richmond
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside El Cerrito City. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up El Cerrito City’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK)14 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Oakland, CA11 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Los Angeles, CA346 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of El Cerrito City; 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 Cerrito City had 25,962 residents in the 2020 census, up 12% since 2000.
It’s the 294th largest of 1,563 towns in California by population.
Contra Costa County grew from 18,046 residents in 1900 to 1,165,927 in 2020.
Contra Costa County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 76°F in summer, and winter lows average 43°F. About 26 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Berkeley, CA weather station (4 miles away).
343,690 jobs at 25,932 businesses in Contra Costa County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
255 doctors and other health care providers list an office in El Cerrito City.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 3 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 12 |
| Dentists | 46 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 11 |
| Mental health providers | 125 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 40 |
| Optometrists | 7 |
| Chiropractors | 11 |
| Pharmacies | 5 |
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 (35 nearby)
Grocery stores (9 nearby)
Pharmacies (2 nearby)
Libraries (3 nearby)
Museums (1 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (2 nearby)
Counts are within about 1.5 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.
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 West Contra Costa Unified, Invictus Academy of Richmond District, Summit Public School K2 District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmont ElementaryEl Cerrito | K–6 | 537 | Public | 0.6 mi |
| Harding ElementaryEl Cerrito | K–6 | 481 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Madera ElementaryEl Cerrito | K–6 | 457 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Fred T. Korematsu MiddleEl Cerrito | 7–8 | 708 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Invictus Academy of RichmondEl Cerrito | 7–12 | 403 | Charter | 0.2 mi |
| Summit Public School K2El Cerrito | 7–12 | 554 | Charter | 1.1 mi |
| El Cerrito HighEl Cerrito | 9–12 | 1,460 | Public | 0.6 mi |
| CameronEl Cerrito | — | — | Public | 0.6 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golestan SchoolEl Cerrito | Pre-K–5 | 53 | Nonsectarian | 1.0 mi |
| St John the BaptistEl Cerrito | Pre-K–8 | 148 | Roman Catholic | 0.9 mi |
| Prospect Sierra SchoolEl Cerrito | TK–8 | 476 | Nonsectarian | <0.1 mi |
| East Bay MontessoriEl Cerrito | K–8 | 68 | Nonsectarian | 1.3 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 Richmond.
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.