City safety & data profile

ImperialCA

Imperial, CA is a 17K-resident city in Imperial County with a median household income of $90,195.

Imperial County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Imperial, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Imperial has a population larger than 35% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $360,900.

Data updated 2026-07-22

17K
Population
Top 65%
By size
$90,195
Median income
$360,900
Median home
12.5%
Poverty rate

The read on Imperial

Imperial posts a median household income higher than 61% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 39%
by median income, US cities

Where Imperial income ranks nationally

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

$90,195 Top 39% higher than 61% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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 Imperial, CA beyond the headline numbers

Imperial sits inside Imperial County, California, at roughly 32.85°N, -115.57°W. Population 17,095, $90,195 median household income. Median home value $360,900, median rent $1,255. Poverty rate 12.5%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Imperial's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 40.4%, then obesity at 33%.

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

Population
17,095
Imperial
Median Income
$90,195
+33% vs avg
Median Home Value
$360,900
+58% vs avg
Median Age
31.3
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Imperial County) - Imperial'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
180K+3%
Median Income
$57,681+38%
Median Home Value
$309,600+110%
Poverty Rate
19.5%-16%
Unemployment
12.5%-32%

Economics

Economics indicators for Imperial, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,255/mo
Poverty Rate
12.5% -12% vs avg
Unemployment 8.2%
Bachelor's Degree+ 22.7%
Work From Home 7.5%
Public Transit 0%

Population

White 26.6%
African American 0.8%
Asian 3.5%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
40.4%
Obesity
33%
Physical Inactivity
29.4%
High Blood Pressure
28.5%
Frequent Mental Distress
17.6%
Binge Drinking
17.5%
Lack of Health Insurance
17.4%
Frequent Physical Distress
14.5%
Diabetes
11.7%
Current Smoking
11.1%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 57.8%
Annual Checkup 68.4%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
9.2%
Coronary Heart Disease
4.8%
Stroke
2.7%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Imperial, CA? ▼
Imperial, CA has a population of 17,095 people, located in Imperial County, California.
What is the median household income in Imperial? ▼
The median household income in Imperial, CA is $90,195 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 12.5%.
What is the median home value in Imperial? ▼
The median home value in Imperial, CA is $360,900. Median rent is $1,255/month.
What are the top health concerns in Imperial? ▼
The top health indicators in Imperial include Short Sleep Duration (40.4%), Obesity (33%), Physical Inactivity (29.4%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Imperial? ▼
The median age in Imperial, CA is 31.3 years. 22.7% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Imperial, CA is located in Imperial County, California. With a population of 17K and a $90,195 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Safety alerts for the Imperial 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

El Centro, CA 44K Brawley, CA 26K Calexico, CA 40K San Luis, AZ 32K Somerton, AZ 15K Yuma, AZ 96K Coachella, CA 45K Indio, CA 88K
All cities in California → Compare Imperial vs El Centro → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Imperial'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 Imperial 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 Imperial 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 (Imperial 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.