El Cajon, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

104,449

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

36.1

1.69% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

20.5%

2.62% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$67,511

1.55% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$681,700

Population & Diversity

El Cajon, CA is home to a population of 104k people, from which 88.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 29.2% of El Cajon, CA residents were born outside of the country (30.5k people).

In 2024, there were 4.73 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (54.2k people) in El Cajon, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 11.4k Other (Hispanic) and 10.3k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

88.1%

2024 Citizenship

88.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 88.1% of El Cajon, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in El Cajon, CA was 88.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in El Cajon, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in El Cajon, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
54.2k ± 2.42k
Other (Hispanic)
11.4k ± 1.69k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
10.3k ± 1.37k

29%

Hispanic Population

30.2k people

29% of the people in El Cajon, CA are hispanic (30.2k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in El Cajon, CA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for California.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,877,888 ± 45,899 people
Philippines
827,719 ± 22,100 people
China
695,724 ± 20,296 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,877,888 California residents, followed by Philippines with 827,719 and China with 695,724.

Foreign-Born Population

29.2%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

30.5k people

28.6%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

30k people

As of 2024, 29.2% of El Cajon, CA residents (30.5k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in El Cajon, CA was 28.6%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in El Cajon, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
1,889 ± 422
Vietnam
1,488 ± 326
Gulf War (1990s)
696 ± 205

El Cajon, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.27 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in El Cajon, CA.

Economy

The economy of El Cajon, CA employs 44.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in El Cajon, CA were Health Care & Social Assistance (6,560 people), Retail Trade (6,051 people), and Manufacturing (3,653 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($97,569), Public Administration ($78,500), and Utilities ($69,545).

Employment

Occupations

44.1k

2024 Value

± 1,893

−2.61%

1 Year decline

± 6.14%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in El Cajon, CA declined at a rate of −2.61%, from 45.2k employees to 44.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in El Cajon, CA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,068 people), Sales & Related Occupations (5,055 people), and Management Occupations (3,913 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of El Cajon, CA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in California (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

44.1k

2024 Value

± 1,893

−2.61%

1 Year decline

± 6.14%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in El Cajon, CA declined at a rate of −2.61%, from 45.2k employees to 44.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in El Cajon, CA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (6,560 people), Retail Trade (6,051 people), and Manufacturing (3,653 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of El Cajon, CA, though some of these residents may live in El Cajon, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$43,729

Median earning men ± $2,967

$36,148

Median earning women ± $1,680

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($98,514), Public Administration ($89,907), and Wholesale Trade ($67,875).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($68,750), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,084), and Public Administration ($59,136).

Education

The student population of El Cajon, CA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 6,150 male students and 8,688 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in El Cajon, CA are White (1,946 and 44.1%), Hispanic or Latino (1,568 and 35.6%), Asian (353 and 8.01%), and Two or More Races (227 and 5.15%).

The largest universities in El Cajon, CA by number of degrees awarded are Grossmont College (4,168 and 92.5%), Bellus Academy-El Cajon (177 and 3.93%), and ATA College (106 and 2.35%).

The most popular majors in El Cajon, CA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (1,600 and 35.5%), General Business Administration & Management (576 and 12.8%), and Biological & Physical Sciences (288 and 6.39%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $17,640.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 14,838 students enrolled in El Cajon, CA, 41.4% men and 58.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 5,676 records, of which 57.9% were women and 42.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
620 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
441 degrees awarded
Biological & Physical Sciences
288 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in El Cajon, CA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 620 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in El Cajon, CA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Grossmont College
4,168 degrees awarded
Bellus Academy-El Cajon
177 degrees awarded
ATA College
106 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Grossmont College with 4,168 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 1,730 men were awarded degrees from institutions in El Cajon, CA, which is 0.624 times less than the 2,774 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,946 degrees mean that there were 1.24 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 1,568 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($17,640) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,440) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in El Cajon, CA was $681,700 in 2024, which is 2.05 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $632,800 to $681,700, a 7.73% increase. The homeownership rate in El Cajon, CA is 41.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in El Cajon, CA have an average commute time of 24.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in El Cajon, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$681,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$18,389

$14,066

Median Property Taxes

±$871

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In El Cajon, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in El Cajon, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

41.5%

Homeownership

2024

65.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 41.5% of the housing units in El Cajon, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 41.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in El Cajon, CA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$67,511

Median Household Income

± $4,257

33.9k

Number of Households

± 1,585

In 2024, the median household income of the 33.9k households in El Cajon, CA grew to $67,511 from the previous year's value of $66,478.

The following chart displays the households in El Cajon, CA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for El Cajon, CA is from California.

0.493

2024 Wage GINI in California

0.495

2023 Wage GINI in California

In 2024, the income inequality in California was 0.493 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.424% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in California in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in California across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (72.6%)
Worked At Home (11.4%)
Carpooled (9.43%)

In 2024, 72.6% of workers in El Cajon, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.4%) and those who carpooled to work (9.43%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

24.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in El Cajon, CA have a shorter commute time (24.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.09% of the workforce in El Cajon, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in El Cajon, CA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in El Cajon, CA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in El Cajon, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

20.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in El Cajon, CA (21.1k out of 103k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in El Cajon, CA is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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