Fresno, California
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Fresno.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Fresno compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 543,615City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $66,804Incorporated place (ACS)15% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 107ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)7% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $348,500City limits (ACS)15% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,324City limits (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($1,348)U.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 7.4%County LAUS · not city-only3.2 pts above U.S. avgU.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 23 min8% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 47Near U.S. avg (45)U.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- UnavailableFBI CDE gap
- Property crime rate
- UnavailableFBI CDE gap
- Summer high
- 95°F8.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 41°F7.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 11 in67% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 31920% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Fresno with another city
About 543,615 people live in Fresno, CA. Households here report a median income near $66,804; our housing-derived cost index is about 107 (close to the national housing-cost baseline). Entry home prices around $348,500 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Pacific weather, wildfire seasons, and housing scarcity dominate relocation tradeoffs. Roughly 319 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Commutes average near 23 minutes one-way, with walkability near 47/100. Unemployment near 7.4% is elevated versus many peer cities, so industry mix matters more in a move decision. FBI Crime Data Explorer did not return usable agency rates here — verify recent local PD reports block by block.
Fresno sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Fresno with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Fresno city, 1600000US0627000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN060190000000003 (Fresno County, May 2026)
- Crime: data unavailable
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00093193 FRESNO YOSEMITE INTL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28