Fresno County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Fresno County, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 81% of counties in California
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 79% of counties in California
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Fresno County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,016,723 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 169.0 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.68% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 31.6 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 324,674 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Fresno County grew by 14.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 1,016,723 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Fresno County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.3% of residents. That is 2.6 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 247,447 24.3% +2.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 229,770 22.6% -1.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 177,382 17.4% -2.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 129,835 12.8% -2.5 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.7% of the people living in Fresno County and men 50.3%.
- Women 49.7% California 49.9%
- Men 50.3% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Fresno County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Fresno County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Fresno County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,148 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.16% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.7% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Fresno County is about 25% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Fresno County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $428,895 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,392 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 55.5% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Fresno County is about 25.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,392 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Fresno County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 174 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Fresno County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.9 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.8 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 174 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,403 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.1% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 12,279 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,006 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
California:
Inyo County (11.1 min), Mono County (12.0 min), Del Norte County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Alpine County (31.3 min), San Benito County (31.2 min), Contra Costa County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Fresno County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Fresno County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Fresno County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.3% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.07 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
California:
Marin County (0.5), San Francisco County (0.4), Santa Clara County (0.4).
Lowest:
Colusa County (0.2), Merced County (0.2), Glenn County (0.2).
Health
Fresno County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Fresno County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 21.0% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.1% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
California:
San Francisco County (0.8), San Mateo County (0.8), Santa Clara County (0.8).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.8), Imperial County (0.8), Tulare County (0.8).
Fresno County, CA Compared With Nearby Counties
Fresno County, CA is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 1,016,723 residents against a local median of 225,644. Where Fresno County, CA breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 33% above the local median of $321,640 at $428,895.
The counties themselves spread $134,678 on median home price, so Fresno County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Fresno County, CA has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno County, CA | 1,016,723 | $74,148 #2/5 | $428,895 #1/5 | 20.9 min #4/5 |
| Madera County, CA | 161,170 | $76,645 | $403,165 | 23.4 min |
| Kings County, CA | 153,298 | $71,135 | $300,000 | 20.1 min |
| Tulare County, CA | 478,693 | $71,104 | $268,486 | 18.6 min |
| Merced County, CA | 290,118 | $66,042 | $343,279 | 20.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Fresno County, California.
What is the population of Fresno County, California?
About 1,016,723 people live in Fresno County, California, in 324,674 households of 3.1 people on average. The median age is 31.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is Fresno County, California?
Averaged over its land area, Fresno County, California has 169 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.0 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Fresno County, California?
The median home costs 5.8 times the median household income ($428,895 against $74,148), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,392 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Fresno County, California?
Unemployment in Fresno County, California is 8.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in Fresno County, California have a college degree?
21.3% of adults in Fresno County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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