El Cajon vs San Diego
A side-by-side comparison of El Cajon and San Diego: population, income, housing, and more.
El Cajon and San Diego are places in California. This page compares them across population, income, housing, education, commuting, and how each has changed since 2019.
San Diego has the higher population (1,385,061 vs 104,909 in El Cajon). San Diego has the higher median household income ($104,321 vs $66,478 in El Cajon). San Diego has the higher median home value ($848,500 vs $632,800 in El Cajon).
Population, income & housing
| El Cajon | San Diego | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 104,909 | 1,385,061 |
| Median age | 35.5 yrs | 36.0 yrs |
| Median household income | $66,478 | $104,321 |
| Median home value | $632,800 | $848,500 |
| Median gross rent | $1,790 | $2,223 |
| Housing units | 35,264 | 559,653 |
| Homeownership rate | 41.1% | 47.6% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.2% | 49.9% |
| Unemployment rate | 9.2% | 5.9% |
Trends (ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)
| El Cajon | San Diego | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 103,186 → 104,909 (+1.7%) | 1,409,573 → 1,385,061 (-1.7%) |
| Median household income | $55,309 → $66,478 (+20.2%) | $79,673 → $104,321 (+30.9%) |
| Median home value | $445,600 → $632,800 (+42.0%) | $602,600 → $848,500 (+40.8%) |
| Median gross rent | $1,339 → $1,790 (+33.7%) | $1,695 → $2,223 (+31.2%) |
El Cajon
103,186104,909
$55,309$66,478
$445,600$632,800
$1,339$1,790
San Diego
1,409,5731,385,061
$79,673$104,321
$602,600$848,500
$1,695$2,223
Age & race/ethnicity
Age distribution (share)
| El Cajon | San Diego | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 7.4% | 5.3% |
| 5 to 17 | 18.5% | 13.5% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.6% | 10.7% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.6% | 18.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.1% | 14.7% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12.0% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.9% | 10.9% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.5% | 8.2% |
| 75 and over | 5.2% | 5.9% |
Race & ethnicity (share)
| El Cajon | San Diego | |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 53.3% | 41.4% |
| Black or African American | 6.0% | 5.4% |
| American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Asian | 4.5% | 17.2% |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.7% | 0.4% |
| Some other race | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 29.1% | 29.6% |
Educational attainment (age 25+)
Share of adults 25+
| El Cajon | San Diego | |
|---|---|---|
| No high school diploma | 15.6% | 9.8% |
| High school graduate | 28.9% | 15.0% |
| Some college or associate's | 33.3% | 25.3% |
| Bachelor's degree | 15.3% | 28.8% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 6.9% | 21.1% |
Commute to work
How workers get to work (share)
| El Cajon | San Diego | |
|---|---|---|
| Drove alone | 72.8% | 64.2% |
| Carpooled | 9.3% | 7.8% |
| Public transit | 2.6% | 3.0% |
| Walked | 2.5% | 3.4% |
| Bicycle | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| Worked from home | 10.2% | 19.2% |
| Other means | 2.1% | 1.7% |
Housing
Units in structure (share)
| El Cajon | San Diego | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-unit, detached | 38.7% | 43.5% |
| 1-unit, attached | 6.3% | 9.9% |
| 2 to 4 units | 8.0% | 7.8% |
| 5 to 19 units | 17.7% | 16.9% |
| 20 or more units | 24.5% | 20.9% |
| Mobile home & other | 5.0% | 1.2% |
Poverty & households
| El Cajon | San Diego | |
|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 20.0% | 11.1% |
| Average household size | 2.99 | 2.55 |
| Mean commute (minutes) | 25 | 24 |
| Median year structure built | 1974 | 1978 |
Full profiles
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