| | El Centro, CA | Santa Maria, CA | United States |
| Population | 44,322 | 109,309 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 51.0% | 50.3% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 49.0% | 49.7% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 31.1 | 29.2 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 42,783 | 99,633 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 37,835 | 77,423 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 31,384 | 61,284 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 15.2% | 36.7% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 38.9% | 72.7% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 3,851.1 | 4,797.6 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 11.5 | 22.8 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 0.6 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | El Centro, CA | Santa Maria, CA | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 6.9% | 9.6% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 9.1% | 8.4% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 10.1% | 8.6% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 5.5% | 4.7% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 4.5% | 5.4% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 5.5% | 7.4% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 13.2% | 13.6% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 12.9% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 11.0% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.1% | 4.6% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.7% | 3.8% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 6.5% | 5.5% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 3.9% | 2.7% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 2.2% | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | El Centro, CA | Santa Maria, CA | United States |
| White | 7.3% | 15.1% | 59.4% |
| Black | 2.5% | 1.1% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 1.4% | 4.5% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 0.2% | 1.6% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 88.6% | 77.4% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | El Centro, CA | Santa Maria, CA | United States |
| Married Population | 44.6% | 46.0% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 40.8% | 43.9% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 3.8% | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 55.4% | 54.0% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 39.9% | 41.5% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 8.5% | 8.2% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 7.0% | 4.3% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 3.72 | 3.76 | 2.60 |
| Households | 11,798 | 28,803 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 9,243 | 22,840 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 31.4% | 35.9% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 29.2% | 28.6% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 2,555 | 5,963 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 22.6% | 25.3% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 16.8% | 10.2% | 10.8% |