El Centro migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 4,545 people moved into the El Centro metro and 5,533 moved out, a net of −988. Yellow arcs are people arriving, blue arcs are people leaving. Hover a dot to see the corridor, or click through to compare.
The map couldn’t load. The numbers below still tell the story.
† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest published corridors: more arrivals come from Riverside, CA than anywhere else: 1,162 people in 2022–23. The top destination for leavers is San Diego, CA (1,037). The listed corridors cover about 71–74% of all flows; the totals count everyone.
- Trend: net outflow has deepened over the last three years, from −342 in 2020–21 to −988 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
181,411
▼ 0.7% year over year · shrinking
Peak population · 2024
182,771
0.7% below the 2024 peak
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: domestic outflow led the population decline in 2025: −2,228, against births minus deaths (+1,054) and international migration (−173).
- Peak population: the high-water mark was 182,771 in 2024. The 2025 estimate of 181,411 is 0.7% below that.
Net income flow · 2022–23
−$41M
▼ $105M arrived · $146M left
Avg household income · movers
$45k in · $48k out
leavers out-earn arrivals by 7%
El Centro wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into the El Centro metro in 2022–23 reported $105M in income (AGI). Households leaving took $146M with them, a net loss of $41M.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $45k of income, vs $48k for leavers. Leavers out-earn arrivals by 7%.
About the data
Corridors are IRS county-to-county migration flows added up into metro areas (2023 Census metro definitions; exemptions ≈ people). "Rest of" entries cover a state's counties outside any featured metro. The IRS hides corridors with fewer than 20 returns, so the lists here cover about 74% of inbound and 71% of outbound movers in 2022–23. The in, out, and net totals count everyone. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported, from the complete county totals. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Population figures are Census Bureau estimates; the peak covers records since 2000. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
Every mover in El Centro is a future client
Shilo's AI listens to your calls, grades them, and shows you where deals slip away, so your next call is sharper.
