Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Imperial County, CA

Welcome to Imperial County.

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Imperial County has a population of 179.6 thousand and a total area (land and water combined) of 4,480.6 square miles.

Total GDP for the county increased 38%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $11.1 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Imperial County voted six out of six times for Democrats and zero time for Republicans.

Imperial County comprises El Centro, CA metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is El Centro.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: La Paz County, Yuma County, Riverside County, and San Diego County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
53.53%43.28%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
53.88%44.89%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
62.24%36.08%++
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
65.18%33.13%++
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
67.93%26.42%++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
61.11%36.74%++
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%38%
Government
Enterprises
24%24%
Private Industries76%42%
Agriculture20%27%
Mining2%41%
Utilities15%70%
Construction2%47%
Manufacturing2%87%
– Durable1%42%
– Nondurable1%134%
Trade12%35%
– Wholesale5%32%
– Retail7%37%
Transportation3%56%
Information1%24%
Finance & Insurance1%18%
Real Estate7%32%
Professional &
Business Services
3%43%
Educational Services<1%31%
Healthcare &
Social Services
4%61%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
<1%5%
Accommodation &
Food Services
2%42%
Other Services22%23%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers1710
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
159
📺 Electronics & Appliance42
🛒 Grocery Stores5038
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores117
⚕️ Health & Personal Care3930
⛽ Gasoline Stations6632
👕 Clothing Stores6246
👠 Shoe Stores1510
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry107
🏸 Sporting Goods
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers
🏬 Department Stores3624
💐 Florists32
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops86
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 43
🍺 Bars & Taverns54
🍽️ Full-service restaurants7634
🍔 Limited-service restaurants11644
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers2416
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation2822
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%119%$284,300 N/A
Top 20%48%$176,400 $200,300
Next highest 20%25%$91,600 $114,500
Middle 20%15%$54,300 $70,100
Second lowest 20%8%$30,700 $41,800
Bottom 20%3%$11,600 $20,500
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries74%$73,700
Self-Employment9%$32,000
Investment Income18%$17,900
Social Security35%$18,200
Supplemental Security8%Below $10,000
Public Assistance6%Below $10,000
Retirement15%$28,100
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
1%7%8%10%
$25K
– $49K
1%8%8%6%
$50K
– $99K
1%9%11%6%
$100K
– $199K
<1%9%9%3%
$200K
& more
<1%2%3%1%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$54,000 $41,600
African-American$24,200
Hispanic$36,100 $22,600
Asian$75,100 $43,400
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$28,500 $16,000
Highschool & GED$40,000 $21,800
Some College to
Associate’s
$49,400 $32,500
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$68,500 $42,100
Graduate Degree$86,700 $72,300
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$71,200 $50,300
STEM2$70,700 $70,000
Gray-Collar3$89,600 $51,900
Pink-Collar4$32,000 $17,100
Sales5$40,900 $17,200
Blue-Collar6$38,800 $25,100
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding
Cold Waves
Drought++++$
Earthquake+++$$$
Hail+
Heat Waves++$
Hurricane+
Ice Storm
Landslide+
Lightning+
Riverine Flooding+++$
Strong Wind+++$
Tornado+
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+
Winter Weather
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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