City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

Fresno, CA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Fresno — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

543,615
Residents
$66,804
Median income
$348,500
Median home
$2,053
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Fresno, CA

Fresno is a city in California with a population of 543,615 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $66,804 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 16.3%. Typical homes in Fresno are valued around $348,500, and the median resident age is 32.4 years. About 24.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 57.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 1,124 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 30% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 4006.8 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns. NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 66.7°F with 11.8 inches of precipitation per year.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, California registers 110.7 (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,053 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $275 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Fresno report an average commute of 20.0 minutes, with 73.7% driving alone and 10.2% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 out of 100 (Very High).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

543,615 residents

Census ACS 2023 — California

Median Household Income

$66,804 /yr

Poverty 16.3%

Cost of Living Index

110.7 (US=100)

Above Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Fresno compare to other US cities?

Where Fresno sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 45% higher than other cities
Home value 72% pricier than other cities
Median rent 88% pricier than other cities
Safety 7% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Fresno against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Fresno, CA Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Fresno, CA. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Fresno, CA — median $66,804/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Fresno, CA — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 24.9%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 16.3%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 57.0%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
543,615
Median Income
$66,804
Median Home Value
$348,500
Median Age
32.4
Poverty Rate
16.3%
Labor force participation
57.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
24.9%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
4006.8
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
735.5
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
3271.3
per 1,000 residents

Climate

Avg Temperature
66.7°F
Annual Precipitation
11.8"
Annual Snowfall
N/A

Schools

Total Schools
180
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
1,124
housing units authorized
Single-Family
983
detached homes
Multifamily
141
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.1
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 1,611
2020 1,576
2021 2,178
2022 2,095
2023 1,802
2024 1,124

Permit volume decreased 30% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
20.0 minutes
Drive Alone
73.7%
Carpool
11.2%
Public Transit
1.3%
Walk
1.6%
Work from Home
10.2%
Other
2.0%

Based on 226,585 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for California — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$150
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$70
avg/month
Total Utilities
$275
estimated/month

Estimates reflect California state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

California state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
110.7
Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,053/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
88.7 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Fresno, CA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Fresno, CA — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Fresno compares to nearby California cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Fresno) plus the nearest peer cities in California, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

CA

Fresno

66.80% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$66,804
Brackets
544
Selected

CA

Sacramento

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$52,480
Brackets
525
Selected

CA

Long Beach

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$45,850
Brackets
458
Selected

CA

Oakland

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$43,810
Brackets
438
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA FBI UCR NOAA Normals NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Fresno, CA?

What is the population of Fresno, CA? +

Fresno, CA has a population of 543,615 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Fresno, CA? +

The median household income in Fresno is $66,804 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Fresno? +

Fresno has a cost of living index of 110.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Fresno, CA safe? +

Fresno has a total crime rate of 4006.8 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Fresno, CA? +

The median home value in Fresno is $348,500, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the climate like in Fresno? +

Fresno has an average annual temperature of 66.7°F, 11.8 inches of precipitation. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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