Imperial Beach is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of California. With a population of 25,791 people and seven associated neighborhoods, Imperial Beach is the 279th largest community in California.

Housing costs in Imperial Beach are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in California.

There are quite a few people in the armed forces living in Imperial Beach, and when you visit or drive around town, you will see military people in and out of uniform, shopping, enjoying life, and being part of the community.

Also of interest is that Imperial Beach has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Imperial Beach telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 7.77% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Imperial Beach is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the city are by private automobile, Imperial Beach is somewhat unusual for a city of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the bus helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Imperial Beach area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

The population of Imperial Beach overall has a level of education that is slightly above the US average for all US cities and towns of 21.84%. Of adults 25 and older in Imperial Beach, 22.53% have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Imperial Beach in 2022 was $33,164, which is lower middle income relative to California, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $132,656 for a family of four. However, Imperial Beach contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Imperial Beach is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Imperial Beach home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are the most prevalent group in Imperial Beach, accounting for 52.82% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of Imperial Beach residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Imperial Beach include Irish, German, English, Italian, and French.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Imperial Beach's cultural character, accounting for 17.29% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Imperial Beach is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Tagalog.