City safety & data profile

El CajonCA

El Cajon, CA is a 104K-resident city in San Diego County with a median household income of $67,511.

San Diego County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for El Cajon, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. El Cajon has a population larger than 93% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $681,700.

Data updated 2026-07-19

104K
Population
Top 7%
By size
$67,511
Median income
$681,700
Median home
20.5%
Poverty rate

The read on El Cajon

El Cajon posts a median household income higher than 33% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 67%
by median income, US cities

Where El Cajon income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$67,511 Bottom 33% higher than 33% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. CA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading El Cajon, CA beyond the headline numbers

El Cajon sits inside San Diego County, California, at roughly 32.79°N, -116.96°W. Population 103,679, $67,511 median household income. Median home value $681,700, median rent $1,856. Poverty rate 20.5%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: El Cajon's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 36.8%, then high blood pressure at 32.4%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for El Cajon from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
103,679
El Cajon
Median Income
$67,511
Near average
Median Home Value
$681,700
+199% vs avg
Median Age
36.1
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (San Diego County) - El Cajon's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
3.3M+5%
Median Income
$106,268+69%
Median Home Value
$854,700+113%
Poverty Rate
10.3%-28%
Unemployment
5.8%-39%

Economics

Economics indicators for El Cajon, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,856/mo
Poverty Rate
20.5% +44% vs avg
Unemployment 9.5%
Bachelor's Degree+ 23%
Work From Home 11.4%
Public Transit 2.3%

Population

White 56.4%
African American 6.5%
Asian 5.5%
Two or More Ethnicities 2.6%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
36.8%
High Blood Pressure
32.4%
Obesity
30%
Physical Inactivity
26%
Frequent Mental Distress
20.1%
Binge Drinking
16.3%
Frequent Physical Distress
15.5%
Current Smoking
15.3%
Diabetes
11.8%
Lack of Health Insurance
11.1%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 57.1%
Annual Checkup 71.9%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
10.4%
Coronary Heart Disease
6.4%
Stroke
3.7%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of El Cajon, CA? ▼
El Cajon, CA has a population of 103,679 people, located in San Diego County, California.
What is the median household income in El Cajon? ▼
The median household income in El Cajon, CA is $67,511 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 20.5%.
What is the median home value in El Cajon? ▼
The median home value in El Cajon, CA is $681,700. Median rent is $1,856/month.
What are the top health concerns in El Cajon? ▼
The top health indicators in El Cajon include Short Sleep Duration (36.8%), High Blood Pressure (32.4%), Obesity (30%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in El Cajon? ▼
The median age in El Cajon, CA is 36.1 years. 23% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

El Cajon, CA is located in San Diego County, California. With a population of 104K and a $67,511 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and high blood pressure. Safety alerts for the El Cajon area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - California

Real-time AQI for every monitored California location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Bostonia, CA 15K Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, CA 19K Santee, CA 58K Winter Gardens, CA 21K Rancho San Diego, CA 21K Spring Valley, CA 28K La Mesa, CA 60K Lakeside, CA 21K
All cities in California → Compare El Cajon vs Bostonia → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using El Cajon's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the El Cajon area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare El Cajon against California peers on any ranking lens. Explore California

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (San Diego County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.