State
County
Land Area
114.7 sq mi
Density
4,681.7/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
0.52%
Growth Since 2010
8.58%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
1,013,400
Fresno is a city located in California. With a 2020 population of 537,100, it is the 5th largest city in California (after , , , and ) and the 35th largest city in the United States. Fresno is currently growing at a rate of 0.52% annually and its population has increased by 8.58% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 494,665 in 2010. Fresno reached it's highest population of 537,100 in 2021. Spanning over 116 miles, Fresno has a population density of 4,682 people per square mile.
The average household income in Fresno is $69,880 with a poverty rate of 25.18%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,005 per month, and the median house value is $242,000. The median age in Fresno is 31 years, 30.3 years for males, and 31.9 years for females. For every 100 females there are 96.4 males.
Fresno is about 200 miles north of Los Angeles and 170 miles south of Sacramento. The greater Metropolitan Fresno area has a population estimated at 1.1 million. There are several well-known neighborhoods in Fresno, including Tower District, which is the city's hub for community events and the center of the city's LGBT and Hipster communities, and the West Side, which is culturally diverse and the center of Fresno's African American community with large Asian-American and Mexican-American populations.
Fresno has one of the largest urban populations in the United States. Fresno has a long history of Armenian immigrants as well. The first Armenians to move to the region were brothers Garabed and Hagop Seropian in 1881, with the Armenian population reaching 360 in Fresno by 1894. This number continued to grow with early immigrants heavily involved in agriculture and farming. By 1930, Armenians owned about 40% of the raisin acreage in the county. Many Anglicized their names due to widespread bigotry, and fear of immigrant land ownership caused the passage of laws to restrict their right to buy land. Today, there are about 40,000 Armenians in Fresno.
Between July 2012 and July 2013, Fresno County's population grew just over 1%, which is the county's highest growth rate in three years. Fresno is growing faster than the state of California as a whole, and quicker than other counties. The growth in the area is attributed to a growing Hispanic population, which makes up the first-time majority in Fresno. Between 2000 and 2010, the city of Fresno grew a whopping 41% as more Californians move inland to get away from the high cost of living on the coast.
The San Joaquin Valley area was first inhabited by the Yokuts people who traded with other tribes of Native Americans in the state. The County of Fresno was created after the California Gold Rush in 1856, and it was named for the ash trees along the river (Fresno is Spanish for ash tree). Within a few years, several settlements were established for settlers and traders.
The Central Pacific Railroad established a station close to Easterby's (a large wheat farm) in 1872 for the new Southern Pacific line. A store followed, and the town of Fresno Station -- later Fresno -- was formed. Many residents from nearby settlements moved to the new community, and Fresno was incorporated in 1885.
Before World War II, there were many ethnic neighborhoods in the city, such as Little Italy, Little Armenia, and German Town. The population in 1940 was 94% white, 2.7% Asian and 3.3% black.
During the second half of the 20th century, Fresno's population boomed, becoming one of the 100 largest cities in the country in 1960 with a population of 134,000. It hit 47th in 1990 and 37th place in 2000 with a population of 428,000.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Fresno was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 1,013,400 | 7,150 | 0.71% |
2020 | 1,006,250 | 7,149 | 0.71% |
2019 | 999,101 | 7,151 | 0.72% |
2018 | 991,950 | 6,712 | 0.68% |
2017 | 985,238 | 8,408 | 0.85% |
2016 | 976,830 | 7,342 | 0.75% |
2015 | 969,488 | 8,921 | 0.92% |
2014 | 960,567 | 9,053 | 0.94% |
2013 | 951,514 | 6,469 | 0.68% |
2012 | 945,045 | 5,639 | 0.60% |
2011 | 939,406 | 7,367 | 0.78% |
2010 | 932,039 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 317,632 | 60.50% |
Asian | 72,261 | 13.76% |
Some Other Race | 67,333 | 12.83% |
Black or African American | 38,838 | 7.40% |
Two or More Races | 22,185 | 4.23% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 6,065 | 1.16% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 696 | 0.13% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 168,625 | 3.06 | 46.7 |
Married | 68,287 | 3.84 | 64.4 |
Non Family | 53,497 | 1.36 | 36.7 |
Female | 33,133 | 3.86 | 30 |
Male | 13,708 | 3.87 | 38.1 |
3.68
Average Family Size
3.06
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 37,463 | 11.76% |
9th to 12th Grade | 34,467 | 10.82% |
High School Graduate | 72,471 | 22.75% |
Some College | 75,866 | 23.82% |
Associates Degree | 28,387 | 8.91% |
Bachelors Degree | 46,340 | 14.55% |
Graduate Degree | 23,518 | 7.38% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 136,381 | 88,820 | 15,462 |
White | 107,856 | 99,221 | 35,446 |
Asian | 44,266 | 33,525 | 13,107 |
Other Race | 37,958 | 23,525 | 3,419 |
Black | 23,086 | 19,288 | 3,986 |
Multiple Races | 9,281 | 7,649 | 2,327 |
Native American | 3,992 | 3,192 | 475 |
Islander | 486 | 441 | 81 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 91.99%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 32.86%.
$32,179
Average Earnings
$35,880
Average Male
$29,479
Average Female
56.65% of Fresno residents speak only English, while 43.35% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 30.15% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 256,260 | 76,813 | 29.97% |
White | 138,460 | 19,278 | 13.92% |
Other | 65,816 | 19,116 | 29.04% |
Asian | 71,686 | 17,260 | 24.08% |
Black | 37,909 | 14,670 | 38.70% |
Multiple | 21,483 | 4,421 | 20.58% |
Native | 5,744 | 1,660 | 28.90% |
Islander | 649 | 132 | 20.34% |
25.18%
Overall Poverty Rate
23.77%
Male Poverty Rate
26.53%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Fresno is Black, with 38.70% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Fresno is White, with 13.92% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 5.51%. Among those working part-time, it was 25.80%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 34.29%.
39.5%
Overall Marriage Rate
41.6%
Male Marriage Rate
37.6%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 13,606 | 5.86% |
Hispanic | 5,330 | 3.16% |
Black | 1,767 | 6.43% |
Asian | 1,368 | 2.63% |
Other | 1,224 | 2.63% |
2 or More | 561 | 4.63% |
Indian | 250 | 5.42% |
Hawaiian | 113 | 18.40% |
11.09%
Veteran Poverty Rate
36.87%
Veteran Disability Rate
61.9%
Labor Force Participation
56%
Employment Rate
9.4%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
79.63%
Native Born
20.37%
Foreign Born
10.98%
Non Citizen
9.39%
Naturalized
79.63% of Fresno residents were born in the United States, with 67.91% having been born in California. 10.98% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 537,100 | 2,762 | 0.52% |
2020 | 534,338 | 2,762 | 0.52% |
2019 | 531,576 | 2,762 | 0.52% |
2018 | 528,814 | 3,441 | 0.65% |
2017 | 525,373 | 3,947 | 0.76% |
2016 | 521,426 | 3,223 | 0.62% |
2015 | 518,203 | 4,103 | 0.80% |
2014 | 514,100 | 5,220 | 1.03% |
2013 | 508,880 | 3,466 | 0.69% |
2012 | 505,414 | 3,985 | 0.79% |
2011 | 501,429 | 3,660 | 0.74% |
2010 | 497,769 | 70,117 | 1.53% |
2000 | 427,652 | 73,450 | 1.90% |
1990 | 354,202 | 136,711 | 5.00% |
1980 | 217,491 | 51,836 | 2.76% |
1970 | 165,655 | 31,726 | 2.15% |
1960 | 133,929 | 42,260 | 3.86% |
1950 | 91,669 | 30,984 | 4.21% |
1940 | 60,685 | 8,172 | 1.46% |
1930 | 52,513 | 7,427 | 1.54% |
1920 | 45,086 | 20,194 | 6.12% |
1910 | 24,892 | 12,422 | 7.16% |
1900 | 12,470 | 1,652 | 1.43% |
1890 | 10,818 | 9,706 | 25.55% |
1880 | 1,112 | 0.00% |