Mexicali: population and official figures

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Mexicali: The 2024 Economic Census counted 33,449 business establishments (economic units) in Mexicali in 2023, 19th most of 107 Mexican cities on this site, against 29,280 in the 2019 census (up 14.2%).
• Health in Mexicali: 18.2% of residents of Mexicali were not affiliated to any public or private health service in the 2020 census, 25th lowest of 107 Mexican cities on this site (national: 26.2%).
• Education in Mexicali: In the 2020 census 1.6% of residents of Mexicali aged 15 and over could not read or write, 17th lowest of 107 Mexican cities on this site (national: 4.7%); in 2010 the share was 2.3%.
• Poverty and living standards in Mexicali: CONEVAL estimated that 20.2% of people in Mexicali, 208,212 in all, were in poverty in 2020, 4th lowest of 107 Mexican cities on this site; across all municipalities combined the rate was 44.5%.
• Government budget and revenue in Mexicali: The municipal government of Mexicali took in MXN 6.4 billion in 2024, about MXN 6,091 per resident counted in 2020, 37th highest of 105 municipal governments among these cities; in 2021 the figure was MXN 4.8 billion (current pesos).

Who runs Mexicali?

In Mexico, cities and towns are run by states: Governor (head of government in Mexico City) elected for one six-year term; single-chamber state congress. Own constitutions, courts and laws; police, education and health shared with the federation.

How local power works in Mexico

Cities of a similar size in Mexico

• Puebla-Tlaxcala 2,962,230
• Toluca 2,509,279
• Tijuana 2,239,664
• León 2,083,208
• Querétaro 1,754,856
• Juárez 1,593,240
• Mérida 1,450,754
• La Laguna 1,446,494
• San Luis Potosí-Soledad de Graciano Sánchez 1,338,507
• Aguascalientes 1,239,335
• Cuernavaca 1,171,572
• Saltillo 1,131,897
• Culiacán Rosales 1,069,768
• Cancún 1,065,760
• Morelia 1,062,416
• Chihuahua 1,049,665

Up a level: all cities in Mexico · Mexico · government and power

Sources

• Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI): Censos Económicos 2024 and 2019 (reference years 2023 and 2018), SAIC query: economic units, persons employed, pay, gross output, value added and investment by municipality (request body saved as saic-ce2024-totals-2018-2023.request.json), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 47e3a4e8a9f4…)
• Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI): Censos Económicos 2024 (reference year 2023), SAIC query: economic units and persons employed in manufacturing, retail, education services, health services and accommodation and food by municipality (request body saved as saic-ce2024-sectors-2023.request.json), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fea3ec2053c9…)
• Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI): Estadística de Finanzas Públicas Estatales y Municipales (EFIPEM): municipal revenue and spending 2021-2025, tabulado interactivo EFIPEM_2 (request body saved as efipem-2-municipal-2021-2025.request.json; 2025 preliminary), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 aacb09030136…)
• Consejo Nacional de Evaluación de la Política de Desarrollo Social (CONEVAL): Índice de Rezago Social 2000-2020 by state and municipality: total population and census indicators of schooling, health coverage and housing (from the 2010 and 2020 Population and Housing Censuses and the 2015 Intercensal Survey), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9191f6c16ec2…)
• Consejo Nacional de Evaluación de la Política de Desarrollo Social (CONEVAL): Poverty measurement by municipality 2010-2020: concentrated poverty indicators (Concentrado_indicadores_de_pobreza_2020.xlsx), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 644d19a9ff6d…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.