Should I Move To
El Centro, California comes in at about 44,184 residents. Cost of living comes out affordable — 8% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $938/mo, and the median household income is about $54,922. Overall, 36/100 on our composite score, which works out to a F, putting it at #878 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 92 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's affordable territory. With median rent at $938/mo and median household income at $54,922, housing takes about 20% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $266,500.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect warm year-round weather — summers near 75°F, winters around 51°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 10 inches annually. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere. Air quality is moderate (AQI 58).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
El Centro is a tougher sell for families. It earns 44/100 (grade D) on the families profile. Strongest on affordability (77/100); weakest on environmental quality (0/100).
El Centro is a tougher sell for retirees. It earns 52/100 (grade C-) on the retirees profile. Strongest on affordability (77/100); weakest on environmental quality (0/100).
El Centro is a tougher sell for remote workers. It earns 52/100 (grade C-) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on affordability (77/100); weakest on environmental quality (0/100).
El Centro is a tougher sell for young professionals. It earns 42/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on affordability (77/100); weakest on environmental quality (0/100).
El Centro, California pulls a 36/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade F), currently ranked #878 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
El Centro's cost-of-living index is 92 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the affordable band — 8% below the national average. Median rent runs about $938/mo.
Warm year-round — summer averages around 75°F, winter averages around 51°F, with about 10 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 57/100. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere.
El Centro has about 44,184 residents, 16% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 32.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put El Centro head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how El Centro stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare El Centro with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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