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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-FOWLER-CA · Fowler, CA 6,930 pop · income 37th 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 Fowler
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fowler on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Mount Healthy · lowest
45,546
Mount Healthy · lowest
45,546 median HH income
18.2% of the leader · rank #1
Fowler · this city
61,071
Fowler · this city
61,071 median HH income
24.4% of the leader · rank #2
Altamont · near
61,071
Altamont · near
61,071 median HH income
24.4% of the leader · rank #3
Pikeville · near
61,071
Pikeville · near
61,071 median HH income
24.4% of the leader · rank #4
Silverhill · near
61,081
Silverhill · near
61,081 median HH income
24.4% of the leader · rank #5
Apalachicola · near
61,083
Apalachicola · near
61,083 median HH income
24.4% of the leader · rank #6
Atherton · highest
250,001
Atherton · highest
250,001 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 Fowler 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: 6,930.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Fowler - the verdict
Nationally, Fowler sits in the 37th percentile for household income and the 39th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
37th
percentile, household income
72nd
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
39th
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: Fowler, CA
California's Fowler is a small town, with 6,930 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Fowler brings in $61,071 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 22.0%. Home values in Fowler run a median of $352,100, and the median resident age is 35.2 years. About 23.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 52.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 85 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 67% from five years earlier. Fowler reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1743.1 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: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, California scores 110.7 (Well Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,053 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). The average commute for Fowler workers runs 20.3 minutes, with 73.8% driving alone and 4.2% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 88.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Fowler'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 reported crime to schools and households to population change to housing and income to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fowler, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates.
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 Fowler?
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 73.8%. The reported mean trip to work is 20.3 minutes.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Fowler?
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 1743.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 24% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
The NCES join finds 6 public schools within the city match. 23.5% 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Fowler?
Within California, the closest population matches are Garnet (6,979 residents, $63,082 income); Castroville (6,870 residents, $90,486 income); Fort Bragg (7,001 residents, $53,580 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Union, OH (6,930 residents); Lecanto, FL (6,929 residents); Orlovista, FL (6,928 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.
Population change
Is Fowler growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +974 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +14.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 85 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
+14.4%
2025 estimate
7,745
2020 estimate
6,771
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Fowler?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 22.0%, 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.
Household income
$61,071
Home value
$352,100
Value / income
5.8×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Below median income · poverty 22.0% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
F
City profile score · Fowler, CA
22/100
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
23.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$61,071
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
510 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate F
22.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better 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.
Fowler profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 44/100 (D) · 23.5%
Household income: 36/100 (F) · $61,071
Violent crime: 15/100 (F) · 510 /100k
Poverty rate: 10/100 (F) · 22.0%
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where Fowler sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Fowler'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 - Fowler highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Fowler, CA (this city): home $352,100, crime 1,743/100k
Union, OH : home $138,800, crime 1,204/100k
Mount Healthy, OH : home $126,200, crime 2,893/100k
Sealy, TX : home $222,200, crime 1,069/100k
St. Louis, MI : home $115,700, crime 727/100k
Fort Bragg, CA : home $481,200, crime 3,333/100k
Atherton, CA : home $2,000,000+, crime 1,386/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Fowler compare to other US cities?
Fowler measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income37% higher than other cities
Home value72% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety39% 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, Fowler ranks #188 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 Fowler 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 Fowler near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fowler ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fowler only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,040 of 1,338
22nd percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#954 of 1,343
29th percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#161 of 1,450
89th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#787 of 1,458
46th 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
37th percentile nationally for median household income · 39th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Fowler's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Fowler'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 Fowler's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$352,10028th 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
Fowler's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,880 of 15,516
More affordable than 11% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,331 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 5.8×, Fowler sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,880 of 15,516 and #10,331 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
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
$61,071Fowler, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fowler, 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 Fowler, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)23.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)22.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)52.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
6,930
Median Income
$61,071
Median Home Value
$352,100
Median Age
35.2
Poverty Rate
22.0%
Labor force participation
52.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
23.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1743.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
509.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1233.6
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
6
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fowler's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
6,771 residents
2021
6,906 residents
2022
7,098 residents
2023
7,338 residents
2024
7,569 residents
2025
7,745 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
85
housing units authorized
Single-Family
85
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
12.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
51
51
0
$13.5M
2020
35
35
0
$9.2M
2021
89
89
0
$35.7M
2022
72
72
0
$27.6M
2023
46
46
0
$15.5M
2024
85
85
0
$33.7M
Permit volume increased 67% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
20.3 minutes
Drive Alone
73.8%
Carpool
18.6%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
4.2%
Other
3.4%
Based on 2,694 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 Fowler. 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 Fowler 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 Fowler sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fowler 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.