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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-FORTUNA-CA · Fortuna, CA 12,413 pop · income 38th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Fortuna
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fortuna on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Mendota · lowest
46,458
Mendota · lowest
46,458 median HH income
24.8% of the leader · rank #1
Hudson · near
61,600
Hudson · near
61,600 median HH income
32.8% of the leader · rank #2
Fortuna · this city
61,603
Fortuna · this city
61,603 median HH income
32.8% of the leader · rank #3
Mountain Lodg… · near
61,605
Mountain Lodg… · near
61,605 median HH income
32.8% of the leader · rank #4
Marysville · near
61,607
Marysville · near
61,607 median HH income
32.8% of the leader · rank #5
Pleasant Hope · near
61,607
Pleasant Hope · near
61,607 median HH income
32.8% of the leader · rank #6
San Marino · highest
187,633
San Marino · highest
187,633 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Fortuna on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 12,413.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Fortuna - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Fortuna lands in the 38th percentile for household income and the 49th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
38th
percentile, household income
72nd
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
49th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Fortuna, CA
California's Fortuna is a small town, with 12,413 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Fortuna households earn a median of $61,603 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 11.7%. Fortuna's housing stock carries a median value of $353,200, and the median resident age is 36.7 years. 22.8% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 52.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 27 residential building permits were authorized in Fortuna (Growing), up 13% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Fortuna reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1399.8 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
California carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,053 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). Workers in Fortuna report an average commute of 21.3 minutes, with 76.4% driving alone and 6.1% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 out of 100 (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Fortuna's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to schools and households to housing and income to reported crime to population change to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fortuna, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Fortuna?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 76.4%. The reported mean trip to work is 21.3 minutes.
The NCES join finds 8 public schools within the city match. 22.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
How far does income reach against housing in Fortuna?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 11.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Which cities make useful reference points for Fortuna?
Within California, the closest population matches are Tehachapi (12,366 residents, $67,785 income); Big Bear (12,493 residents, $72,457 income); Newman (12,299 residents, $75,344 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Lake City, FL (12,404 residents); Myrtle Grove, NC (12,404 residents); Borger, TX (12,398 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Fortuna?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1399.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 39% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1096.9
Violent rate
302.9
Total reported rate
1399.8
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -488 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -3.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 27 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-3.9%
2025 estimate
12,003
2020 estimate
12,491
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Below median income · poverty 11.7% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
F
City profile score · Fortuna, CA
30/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share D
22.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$61,603
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
11.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
303 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
110.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Fortuna profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 42/100 (D) · 22.8%
Household income: 37/100 (F) · $61,603
Poverty rate: 33/100 (F) · 11.7%
Violent crime: 33/100 (F) · 303 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where Fortuna sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Fortuna's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Fortuna highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Fortuna, CA (this city): home $353,200, crime 1,400/100k
Borger, TX : home $90,000, crime 2,337/100k
Liberty Lake, WA : home $506,000, crime 1,682/100k
Tehachapi, CA : home $344,700, crime 3,124/100k
Big Bear, CA : home $427,700, crime 3,704/100k
Newman, CA : home $381,900, crime 543/100k
San Marino, CA : home $2,000,000+, crime 1,210/100k
Mendota, CA : home $250,400, crime 1,359/100k
Lindsay, CA : home $268,400, crime 1,904/100k
How does Fortuna compare to other US cities?
Here's how Fortuna stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income38% higher than other cities
Home value72% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety49% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at California, Fortuna ranks #124 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Fortuna against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
California-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Fortuna near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fortuna ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fortuna only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,033 of 1,338
23rd percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#953 of 1,343
29th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#411 of 1,450
71st percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#807 of 1,458
45th percentile in California
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within California only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
38th percentile nationally for median household income · 49th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Fortuna's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Fortuna's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Fortuna's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$353,20028th percentilemore affordable than 28% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Fortuna's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,843 of 15,516
More affordable than 11% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,891 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 5.7×, Fortuna sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,843 of 15,516 and #2,891 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$61,603Fortuna, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fortuna, CA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Fortuna, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)22.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)11.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)52.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
12,413
Median Income
$61,603
Median Home Value
$353,200
Median Age
36.7
Poverty Rate
11.7%
Labor force participation
52.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
22.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1399.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
302.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1096.9
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
8
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fortuna's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
12,491 residents
2021
12,463 residents
2022
12,382 residents
2023
12,235 residents
2024
12,097 residents
2025
12,003 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Growing
Total Permits (2024)
27
housing units authorized
Single-Family
22
detached homes
Multifamily
5
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
24
20
4
$5.6M
2020
49
27
22
$9.7M
2021
62
35
27
$12.2M
2022
58
36
22
$12.1M
2023
17
17
0
$6.9M
2024
27
22
5
$8.2M
Permit volume increased 13% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
21.3 minutes
Drive Alone
76.4%
Carpool
9.5%
Public Transit
1.6%
Walk
4.0%
Work from Home
6.1%
Other
2.4%
Based on 5,286 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
California statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $275
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across California at $275 (electricity about $150 , water and sewer about $70 ).
These are California statewide averages, not a meter reading for Fortuna. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
California's BEA cost-of-living index is 110.7 (Well Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Fortuna is $2,053/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to California statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a California statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Fortuna sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fortuna compares to similar-size California cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.