Empire, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

3,429

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

41.1

7.87% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

22.3%

22.4% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$52,563

7.29% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$335,200

Population & Diversity

Empire, CA is home to a population of 3.43k people, from which 89.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 21% of Empire, CA residents were born outside of the country (719 people).

In 2024, there were 1.83 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.51k people) in Empire, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 827 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 524 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.7%

2024 Citizenship

89.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89.7% of Empire, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Empire, CA was 89.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Empire, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
1.51k ± 493
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
827 ± 395
Other (Hispanic)
524 ± 282

48.6%

Hispanic Population

1.67k people

48.6% of the people in Empire, CA are hispanic (1.67k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Empire, 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

21%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

719 people

20%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

774 people

As of 2024, 21% of Empire, CA residents (719 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 Empire, CA was 20%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
45 ± 54
Vietnam
38 ± 68

Empire, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.18 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Empire, CA employs 1.37k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Empire, CA were Health Care & Social Assistance (198 people), Retail Trade (185 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (153 people), and the highest paying industries were Construction ($81,136), Manufacturing ($71,827), and Health Care & Social Assistance ($45,234).

Employment

Occupations

1.37k

2024 Value

± 320

−3.94%

1 Year decline

± 33.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Empire, CA declined at a rate of −3.94%, from 1.42k employees to 1.37k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Empire, CA, are Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Occupations (124 people), Material Moving Occupations (119 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (99 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Empire, 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

1.37k

2024 Value

± 320

−3.94%

1 Year decline

± 33.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Empire, CA declined at a rate of −3.94%, from 1.42k employees to 1.37k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Empire, CA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (198 people), Retail Trade (185 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (153 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Empire, CA, though some of these residents may live in Empire, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$41,389

Median earning men ± $12,345

$33,367

Median earning women ± $17,980

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Construction ($81,136), Manufacturing ($75,699), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($60,966).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($34,844), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($9,559), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($3,125).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Empire, CA was $335,200 in 2024, which is 1.01 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $306,700 to $335,200, a 9.29% increase. The homeownership rate in Empire, CA is 60.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Empire, CA have an average commute time of 22.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Empire, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$335,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,899

$665

Median Property Taxes

±$211

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 Empire, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

60.8%

Homeownership

2024

75.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60.8% of the housing units in Empire, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 57.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Empire, 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.

$52,563

Median Household Income

± $22,679

1.09k

Number of Households

± 248

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.09k households in Empire, CA grew to $52,563 from the previous year's value of $48,990.

The following chart displays the households in Empire, 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 $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Empire, 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 (81%)
Carpooled (14.9%)
Taxi (2.26%)

In 2024, 81% of workers in Empire, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.9%) and those who used a taxi to get to work (2.26%).

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

22.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Empire, CA have a shorter commute time (22.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.41% of the workforce in Empire, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

22.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Empire, CA (764 out of 3.43k 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 Males 45 - 54, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Males 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Empire, CA is Hispanic, followed by White 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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