El Cajon, CA

Census Place

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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
7.73% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
44,063
2.61% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in El Cajon, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

88.1% of the residents in El Cajon, CA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in El Cajon, CA are Grossmont College (3,978 degrees awarded in 2023), Bellus Academy-El Cajon (146 degrees), and ATA College (47 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in El Cajon, CA was $681,700, and the homeownership rate was 41.5%.

Most people in El Cajon, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.8 minutes. The average car ownership in El Cajon, CA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesCaliforniaSan Diego County, CASan Diego-Carlsbad, CASan Diego County (Central)--Lakeside, Winter Gardens & Ramona PUMA, CASan Diego County (Central)--El Cajon & Santee Cities PUMA, CASan Diego County (Central)--San Diego (East Central/Navajo) & La Mesa Cities PUMA, CA

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.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in El Cajon, CA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    54.2k ± 2.42k
  2. Other (Hispanic)
    11.4k ± 1.69k
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    10.3k ± 1.37k
29%
Hispanic Population
30.2k 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.

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.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for California.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    3,862,617 ± 45,816 people
  2. Philippines
    824,246 ± 22,054 people
  3. China
    687,951 ± 20,184 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,862,617 California residents, followed by Philippines with 824,246 and China with 687,951.

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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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,889 ± 422
  2. Vietnam
    1,488 ± 326
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.
Y-Axis
2.57%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 17.9M people employed in California. This represents a 2.57% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in California.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing the state of California. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

California is currently represented by 52 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for El Cajon, CA. Showing the available data for California.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (58.5%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (38.3%)
    Republican Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1.25%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in California for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from California

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for California.
Alex Padilla
Senator from California3
Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Kamala Harris, who had become Vice President of the United States.
Adam Schiff
Senator from California1
Assumed office on December 8, 2024
Elected to the seat to succeed Laphonza Butler, who had been appointed to the seat following the death of Dianne Feinstein.

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing California.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in California over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in El Cajon, CA awarded 4,202 degrees. The student population of El Cajon, CA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 5,902 male students and 8,138 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in El Cajon, CA are White (1,681 and 41.1%), Hispanic or Latino (1,540 and 37.6%), Asian (283 and 6.91%), and Two or More Races (248 and 6.06%).

The largest universities in El Cajon, CA by number of degrees awarded are Grossmont College (3,978 and 94.7%), Bellus Academy-El Cajon (146 and 3.47%), and ATA College (47 and 1.12%).

The most popular majors in El Cajon, CA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (1,516 and 36.1%), General Business Administration & Management (491 and 11.7%), and Biological & Physical Sciences (277 and 6.59%).

The median tuition cost in El Cajon, CA for private four year colleges is $17,280.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 14,040 students enrolled in El Cajon, CA, 42% men and 58% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 5,561 records, of which 56.2% were women and 43.8% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Liberal Arts & Sciences
    568 degrees awarded
  2. General Business Administration & Management
    352 degrees awarded
  3. Biological & Physical Sciences
    277 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in El Cajon, CA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 568 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Grossmont College
    3,978 degrees awarded
  2. Bellus Academy-El Cajon
    146 degrees awarded
  3. ATA College
    47 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Grossmont College with 3,978 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 1,710 men were awarded degrees from institutions in El Cajon, CA, which is 0.686 times less than the 2,492 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,681 degrees mean that there were 1.09 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 1,540 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($17,280) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,440) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,750) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for El Cajon, CA is from California.
0.495
2023 Wage GINI in California
0.498
2022 Wage GINI in California

In 2023, the income inequality in California was 0.495 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.573% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (72.6%)
  2. Worked At Home (11.4%)
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Health

93.5% of the population of El Cajon, CA has health coverage, with 33.3% on employee plans, 36.8% on Medicaid, 8.94% on Medicare, 11.8% on non-group plans, and 2.61% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in California see 1,233 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,233 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1076 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 213 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.4% under 18 years, 21.2% between 18 and 34 years, 37.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 13.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

6.52%
Uninsured
33.3%
Employer Coverage
36.8%
Medicaid
8.94%
Medicare
11.8%
Non-Group
2.61%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in El Cajon, CA declined by 0.136% from 6.52% to 6.52%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in El Cajon, CA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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