Demographics of El Cajon city, California

El Cajon city, California had 101,755 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −4,314 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

El Cajon city, in four figures

101,755
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 104,449 ±64.; −4.1%
Change since July 2020: −4,314 people.; 36.1 ±0.9
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $67,511 ±$4,257
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. The Bureau publishes no births, deaths or migration for a place, so the change is the difference between one July estimate and the next.

El Cajon city, California's population shrank 4.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of El Cajon city, California's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

El Cajon city, California's population shrank 4.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of El Cajon city, California's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	106,069	100.0	100.0
2021	105,098	99.1	100.2
2022	104,073	98.1	100.7
2023	103,371	97.5	101.6
2024	102,841	97.0	102.5
2025	101,755	95.9	103.1

Population of El Cajon city, California on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	106,069	—
2021	105,098	−971
2022	104,073	−1,025
2023	103,371	−702
2024	102,841	−530
2025	101,755	−1,086

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 36.1 ±0.9: for men 35.9 ±1.2 and for women 36.2 ±1.1. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in El Cajon city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	California	United States
Under 5	7,281 ±864	7.0% ±0.8	5.5% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	19,435 ±1,326	18.6% ±1.3	16.5% ±<0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	9,139 ±847	8.7% ±0.8	9.1% ±<0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	29,891 ±1,548	28.6% ±1.5	28.7% ±<0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	23,542 ±1,242	22.5% ±1.2	24.6% ±<0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	15,161 ±970	14.5% ±0.9	15.7% ±<0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $67,511 ±$4,257, and income per person $31,254 ±$1,345, in 2024 dollars. The median is $99,122 ±$310 in California and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in El Cajon city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	California	United States
Under $25,000	6,512 ±757	19.2% ±2.2	12.5% ±0.1	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	6,485 ±796	19.1% ±2.3	13.3% ±0.1	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	5,398 ±632	15.9% ±1.8	13.0% ±0.1	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	4,046 ±443	11.9% ±1.3	11.6% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	5,450 ±618	16.1% ±1.8	17.8% ±0.1	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	3,074 ±441	9.1% ±1.3	11.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	2,925 ±366	8.6% ±1.1	20.5% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in El Cajon city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	California	United States
All ages	21,064 ±2,250	20.5% ±2.2	12.0% ±0.1	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	6,991 ±1,076	26.5% ±3.7	15.0% ±0.1	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	10,825 ±1,345	19.4% ±2.3	11.0% ±0.1	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	3,248 ±616	15.8% ±2.8	11.5% ±0.1	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in El Cajon city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	El Cajon city	California	United States
Housing units	35,185 ±811	14,644,735 ±1,665	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	96.3% ±0.9	92.5% ±0.1	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	3.7% ±0.8	7.5% ±0.1	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	41.5% ±2.0	55.9% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	58.5% ±1.8	44.1% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$681,700 ±$18,389	$734,700 ±$1,307	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,856 ±$27	$2,036 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1974 ±1	1976 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in El Cajon city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	California	United States
Hispanic or Latino	30,244 ±2,262	29.0% ±2.2	40.2% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	54,194 ±2,415	51.9% ±2.3	33.8% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	6,019 ±1,301	5.8% ±1.2	5.2% ±<0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	5,576 ±1,140	5.3% ±1.1	15.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	103 to 363	0.1% to 0.3%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	862 ±343	0.8% ±0.3	0.3% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	310 ±151	0.3% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	7,011 ±1,186	6.7% ±1.1	4.4% ±<0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in El Cajon city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	California	United States
Born in the state	54,466 ±1,812	52.1% ±1.7	56.5% ±0.1	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	17,118 ±1,254	16.4% ±1.2	15.0% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	2,244 ±658	2.1% ±0.6	1.5% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	30,621 ±1,840	29.3% ±1.8	27.0% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	18,141 ±1,482	17.4% ±1.4	14.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	12,480 ±1,495	11.9% ±1.4	12.3% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

El Cajon city among the places of California

69th of 661 places of 5,000 or more by the survey’s 2020–2024 count. Every one is listed on the California page.

Places of California near El Cajon city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
West Covina city	107,037 ±66
Jurupa Valley city	107,011 ±46
El Monte city	106,109 ±64
Inglewood city	104,569 ±104
Burbank city	104,546 ±46
El Cajon city	104,449 ±64
Rialto city	104,143 ±77
San Mateo city	103,105 ±92
Vacaville city	102,596 ±51
Chico city	102,188 ±69
Daly City city	101,964 ±54

Elsewhere on the site

Reported crime in El Cajon city, California

Rankings this appears in

No. 16 Places in California by poverty rate
No. 128 Places in California by foreign-born share
No. 243 Places in California by median home value
No. 263 Places in California by median rent
No. 298 Places in California by median age
No. 316 Places in California by Hispanic or Latino share

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026