Imperial County, California
County seat: El Centro · Population 181,411 (2025) · 4,176 sq mi
Imperial County is the 31st most populous of California's 58 counties, with 181,411 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is El Centro. The map shows its 7 cities and towns and the 4 neighboring counties.
Imperial County facts
- County seat
- El Centro
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 181,411 +1% since 2020
- Land area
- 4,176 sq mi 10th largest of 58
- Water area
- 305 sq mi
- Population density
- 43 per sq mi
- Established
- 1907
- Named after
- Imperial Valley valley in Southern California
- Largest city
- El Centro 44,382
- Median household income
- $57,681
- Cities and towns
- 7 plus 11 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 18
- Time zone
- Pacific
- FIPS code
- 06025
Cities and towns in Imperial County
Imperial County has 7 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Imperial County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Centro (county seat) | City | 44,382 | |
| Calexico | City | 38,623 | |
| Brawley | City | 28,008 | |
| Imperial | City | 22,330 | |
| Calipatria | City | 6,012 | |
| Holtville | City | 5,591 | |
| Westmorland | City | 2,015 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Heber | 7,312 | |
| Salton City | 5,988 | |
| Seeley | 1,182 | |
| Niland | 1,116 | |
| Desert Shores | 801 | |
| Salton Sea Beach | 453 | |
| El Centro Naval Air Facility | 443 | |
| Bombay Beach | 356 | |
| Winterhaven | 234 | |
| Ocotillo | 118 | |
| Palo Verde | 75 |
ZIP codes in Imperial County
18 ZIP codes reach into Imperial County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 92004 also San Diego County
- 92222
- 92225 also Riverside County
- 92227
- 92231
- 92233
- 92243
- 92249
- 92250
- 92251
- 92257
- 92259
- 92266
- 92273
- 92274 also Riverside County
- 92275
- 92281
- 92283
Population of Imperial County, 2020–2025
Imperial County grew by 1,706 people (+1%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 4,641 more births than deaths and a net loss of 2,970 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 179,532 |
| 2021 | 178,809 |
| 2022 | 179,421 |
| 2023 | 180,683 |
| 2024 | 182,771 |
| 2025 | 181,411 |
Neighboring counties
- Riverside County northwest · 2,544,916 people
- San Diego County west · 3,282,248 people
- La Paz County, Arizona northeast · 16,711 people
- Yuma County, Arizona east · 224,449 people
Printable Imperial County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (108 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (76 KB)
Paste this code to embed the map on your site:
Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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