Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Imperial had a population of 20,263 and a population density of . The age distribution was 30.6% under the age of 18, 8.9% aged 18 to 24, 29.8% aged 25 to 44, 21.7% aged 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.7 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.8 males age 18 and over.

The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households and 32 people (0.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 6,029 households, of which 53.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 58.8% were married-couple households, 6.1% were cohabiting-couple households, 12.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36. There were 4,958 families (82.2% of all households).

The median household income in 2023 was $83,214, and the per capita income was $28,599. About 10.7% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Imperial had a population of 14,758. The population density was . The racial makeup of Imperial was 9,298 (63.0%) White, 331 (2.2%) African American, 154 (1.0%) Native American, 370 (2.5%) Asian, 13 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 3,783 (25.6%) from other races, and 809 (5.5%) from two or more races. The ethnic makeup of Imperial was 11,046 (74.8%) Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The Census reported that 14,727 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 31 (0.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 4,405 households, out of which 2,464 (55.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,669 (60.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 697 (15.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 255 (5.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 268 (6.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 27 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 621 households (14.1%) were made up of individuals, and 181 (4.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.34. There were 3,621 families (82.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.69.

The population was spread out, with 4,927 people (33.4%) under the age of 18, 1,376 people (9.3%) aged 18 to 24, 4,618 people (31.3%) aged 25 to 44, 2,881 people (19.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 956 people (6.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

There were 4,751 housing units at an average density of , of which 4,405 were occupied, of which 3,130 (71.1%) were owner-occupied, and 1,275 (28.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%. 10,692 people (72.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 4,035 people (27.3%) lived in rental housing units.

thumb|right|Aerial over Imperial/HWY 86

Arts and culture

thumb|Mid-Winter Fair in Imperial

The annual California Mid-Winter Fair takes place in Imperial, often in February, and receives over 100,000 visitors.

The California Mid-Winter Fairgrounds is located in the heart of Imperial. The Mid-Winter Fair is the county's largest attended event. The fair lasts for a total of 10 days and is held at the end of February or beginning of March each year. The fairgrounds will host other events during the year such as; festivals, barbecues, car races, concerts, trade shows, and private parties. Visitors are from nearby Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico and numerous "snowbirds" across Southern California and the country (U.S.) temporarily reside in Imperial.

Imperial is also home to the Imperial Market Days.

Imperial Market Days is a signature, sponsorship funded event series put on by the City of Imperial to promote quality of life opportunities locally and throughout the Imperial Valley. Starting in October, the events take place in Downtown Imperial. These events are free for the public to attend. The synergy between local businesses and the community has attracted record crowds of up to 13,000 people throughout the region. Over 100 vendors participate in each event. [https://www.cityofimperial.org/]

Government

In the California State Legislature, Imperial is in , and .

In the United States House of Representatives, Imperial is in .

Infrastructure

Utilities

The city operates its own water and sewer system. Trash service is provided by Republic Services. Other utility providers for Imperial are Southern California Gas, Imperial Irrigation District, AT&T California, and Spectrum.

Notable people

  • Royce Freeman, football player
  • Charles Harris Garrigues, newspaperman
  • Ben Hulse, member of the California State Senate
  • Andy Ruiz Jr., boxer, former WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO world heavyweight champion.
  • Anthony Inder Mazeroll, academic, Former Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences - Soka University of America, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Amazon Research Center for Ornamental Fishes in Iquitos, Peru www.amazonresearchcenter.org

See also

  • San Diego–Imperial, California
  • El Centro Metropolitan Area
  • Imperial County Airport

References

  • Imperial Chamber of Commerce