South El Monte is a city of 19,287 people in California. The foreign-born share is 46%. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 10% of adults. 51% of homes are owner-occupied. There are 6,782 people per square mile. The typical home is worth $601,000, having more than tripled since 2000.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $72,990, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 37.2
US median: 38.9
Less educated
10% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 116%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about South El Monte
What changed most since 1990
Hispanic share84.4% → 74.3%(−10.1 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Asian share4.8% → 20.5%(+15.7 pts)US over the same years: +3.1 pts
Median age25.3 → 37.2(+11.9 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)9.4%(33)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)44.4%(156)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era21.4%(75)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.1%(11)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 351 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
South El Monte, decade by decade
South El Monte population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
20,850
$64,979
$387,851
3.5%
34.5
2000
21,144
$63,131
$278,531
3.1%
31.3
2010
20,116
$66,227
$549,822
9.2%
33.3
2020
19,567
$65,702
$548,690
10.1%
42.0
2024
19,287
$72,990
$601,000
10.5%
50.6
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
