City safety & data profile

El CerritoCA

El Cerrito, CA is a 24K-resident city in Contra Costa County with a median household income of $127,876.

Contra Costa County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for El Cerrito, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. El Cerrito has a population larger than 52% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $1,124,400.

Data updated 2026-07-19

24K
Population
Top 48%
By size
$127,876
Median income
$1,124,400
Median home
6.9%
Poverty rate

The read on El Cerrito

El Cerrito posts a median household income higher than 86% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 14%
by median income, US cities

Where El Cerrito income ranks nationally

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

$127,876 Top 14% higher than 86% 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%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). This entry sits in this band. $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 Cerrito, CA beyond the headline numbers

El Cerrito sits inside Contra Costa County, California, at roughly 37.92°N, -122.31°W. Population 23,549, $127,876 median household income. Median home value $1,124,400, median rent $2,548. Poverty rate 6.9%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: El Cerrito's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 33.5%, then high blood pressure at 30%.

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

Population
23,549
El Cerrito
Median Income
$127,876
+88% vs avg
Median Home Value
$1,124,400
+394% vs avg
Median Age
41.8
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Contra Costa County) - El Cerrito'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
1.2M+9%
Median Income
$127,229+62%
Median Home Value
$866,800+115%
Poverty Rate
8.4%-20%
Unemployment
6.5%-37%

Economics

Economics indicators for El Cerrito, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$2,548/mo
Poverty Rate
6.9% -51% vs avg
Unemployment 5.8%
Bachelor's Degree+ 67.6%
Work From Home 31.8%
Public Transit 15.3%

Population

White 45.7%
African American 5.5%
Asian 28.5%
Two or More Ethnicities 5.5%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
33.5%
High Blood Pressure
30%
Obesity
24.4%
Physical Inactivity
19.8%
Binge Drinking
14.6%
Frequent Mental Distress
13.6%
Frequent Physical Distress
10.2%
Diabetes
10.1%
Current Asthma
8.9%
Current Smoking
7.3%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 70.4%
Annual Checkup 74%

Other Measures

Coronary Heart Disease
5%
Lack of Health Insurance
4.8%
Stroke
2.7%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of El Cerrito, CA? ▼
El Cerrito, CA has a population of 23,549 people, located in Contra Costa County, California.
What is the median household income in El Cerrito? ▼
The median household income in El Cerrito, CA is $127,876 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 6.9%.
What is the median home value in El Cerrito? ▼
The median home value in El Cerrito, CA is $1,124,400. Median rent is $2,548/month.
What are the top health concerns in El Cerrito? ▼
The top health indicators in El Cerrito include Short Sleep Duration (33.5%), High Blood Pressure (30%), Obesity (24.4%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in El Cerrito? ▼
The median age in El Cerrito, CA is 41.8 years. 67.6% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

El Cerrito, CA is located in Contra Costa County, California. With a population of 24K and a $127,876 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and high blood pressure. Safety alerts for the El Cerrito 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

Albany, CA 20K Richmond, CA 110K San Pablo, CA 30K Berkeley, CA 121K El Sobrante, CA 13K Emeryville, CA 12K Pinole, CA 19K Hercules, CA 25K
All cities in California → Compare El Cerrito vs Albany → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using El Cerrito'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 Cerrito 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 Cerrito 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 (Contra Costa 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.