Cities of Baja California
The economy of Mexicali
The state capital sits on the US border across from Calexico, California, and runs on two engines at once: industry and agriculture.
Roughly 1.0 million people live here, making Mexicali one of the largest cities on Mexico's northern border.
~1.0Mpeople, on the US border across from Calexico, California
Capitalthe state capital of Baja California
Aerospacehub for primes such as Honeywell and Collins Aerospace
90%+of the state's farm tonnage grown in the Mexicali Valley
Two economies, one city
- Mexicali is the state capital of Baja California, a city of about 1.0 million people on the US border, directly across from Calexico, California.
- It anchors aerospace and export manufacturing. Long-established primes such as Honeywell and Collins Aerospace operate here alongside IMMEX export-manufacturing plants, part of the state's wider advanced manufacturing base and its ongoing nearshoring shift.
- It also anchors agriculture. The Mexicali Valley is an irrigated farm belt fed by Colorado River water, and it produces over 90% of the state's agricultural tonnage, mostly alfalfa, wheat, and cotton. See agriculture for the full picture.
The balance ahead
- The valley's output rests on water. The Mexicali Valley depends on Colorado River irrigation, which ties the farm belt's future to how that water is allocated.
- Where it is headed. The capital's mix of an established aerospace cluster and IMMEX plants keeps it positioned for nearshoring demand, while the Mexicali Valley remains the state's dominant source of farm tonnage.