Population
El Centro
44,186
Desert Hot Springs
32,786
Median Income
El Centro
$56,093
Desert Hot Springs
$50,349
Home Value
El Centro
$291,100
Desert Hot Springs
$309,300
Rent
El Centro
$992
Desert Hot Springs
$1,339
Crime Rate
El Centro
3.28
Desert Hot Springs
4.92
Cost of Living
El Centro
103.6
Desert Hot Springs
113.1
Avg Temp
El Centro
N/A
Desert Hot Springs
N/A
Unemployment
El Centro
9.9%
Desert Hot Springs
6.8%
How Similar Are El Centro & Desert Hot Springs?
Desert Hot Springs is El Centro's #7 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
El Centro
44,186
Desert Hot Springs
32,786
El Centro has a 26% larger population than Desert Hot Springs.
Violent Crime
El Centro
3.28
Desert Hot Springs
4.92
Desert Hot Springs has a 33% higher violent crime than El Centro.
Property Crime
El Centro
12.68
Desert Hot Springs
12.00
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.
Political Leaning
El Centro
49.1%
Desert Hot Springs
49.3%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
El Centro
9.9%
Desert Hot Springs
6.8%
El Centro has a 31% higher unemployment than Desert Hot Springs.
Median Income
El Centro
$56,093
Desert Hot Springs
$50,349
El Centro has a 10% higher median income than Desert Hot Springs.
Home Values
El Centro
$291,100
Desert Hot Springs
$309,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 6% difference.
Education
El Centro
9.5%
Desert Hot Springs
9.8%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
El Centro
24.1%
Desert Hot Springs
35.6%
Desert Hot Springs has a 32% higher demographics than El Centro.
Cost of Living
El Centro
103.6
Desert Hot Springs
113.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. El Centro and Desert Hot Springs share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
El Centro
0
Desert Hot Springs
Desert Hot Springs leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — El Centro leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDEl Centro has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,038 vs $1,777 in Desert Hot Springs (42% lower). El Centro has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,362 vs $2,201 in Desert Hot Springs (38% lower). El Centro scores 123.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 152.3 in Desert Hot Springs.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Desert Hot Springs leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEl Centro has a median rent of $992 vs $1,339 in Desert Hot Springs (26% lower). El Centro has a median property tax of $2,501 vs $3,184 in Desert Hot Springs (21% lower). Desert Hot Springs has a single-family homes of 68.3% compared to 56.9% in El Centro.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Desert Hot Springs leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDesert Hot Springs has a unemployment rate of 6.8% compared to 9.9% in El Centro. Desert Hot Springs has a work from home of 5.9% compared to 4.6% in El Centro. El Centro: 19,323 vs Desert Hot Springs: 15,907 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Desert Hot Springs leads
Source: FBI UCRDesert Hot Springs has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.73 compared to 4.75 in El Centro. El Centro has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.09 in Desert Hot Springs. Desert Hot Springs has a property crime clearance of 13.8% compared to 7.2% in El Centro.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Desert Hot Springs leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauDesert Hot Springs has a high school diploma or higher of 31.1% compared to 25.0% in El Centro. Desert Hot Springs has a bachelor's degree or higher of 9.8% compared to 9.5% in El Centro.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEl Centro has a population of 44,186, about 1.3x the size of Desert Hot Springs (32,786). El Centro skews younger with a median age of 31.6 vs 34.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
El Centro
Desert Hot Springs
Healthcare — Desert Hot Springs leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDesert Hot Springs: 5 vs El Centro: 2 for nearby hospitals. Desert Hot Springs: 5 vs El Centro: 2 for with emergency services. Desert Hot Springs: 3.5 vs El Centro: 1.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDesert Hot Springs has a public transit of 1.7% compared to 0.0% in El Centro. Desert Hot Springs has a work from home of 5.9% compared to 4.6% in El Centro. El Centro: 22 min vs Desert Hot Springs: 27 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to El Centro, CA
Compare El Centro against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.