Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety26#11,604/15,637
Economy40#9,430/15,631
Housing42#8,736/14,977
Health50#7,806/15,609
Healthcare26#11,648/15,650
Environment3#14,952/15,453
Education4#14,970/15,649
Infrastructure63#5,833/15,650
Community4#15,093/15,651
Leisure & amenities19#12,740/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Visalia, California ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Tulare County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Drought exposure · low1%
94/100California 9%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAATulare County value
Comfortable days · high34.2%
94/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationTulare County value
Suicide rate · low9.4 /100k
86/100California 9.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataTulare County value
New homes permitted · high6.3 /1k
80/100California 2.8 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Grocery stores · high2.2 /10k
80/100California 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTulare County value
Injury deaths · low69 /100k
79/100California 67 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTulare County value

Weaknesses

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high12.7 µg/m³
0/100California 9.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyTulare County value
High ozone days · high74 days
2/100California 38 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyTulare County value
New business applications · low7.3 /1k
3/100California 14.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauTulare County value
Days with unhealthy air · high11.8%
3/100California 12.4%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyTulare County value
Median Air Quality Index · high64
4/100California 602025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyTulare County value
Voter turnout · low51.0%
5/100California 61.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionTulare County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
132,104 (2015-2019) → 143,939 (2020-2024)
+9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
21.0% (2015-2019) → 14.2% (2020-2024)
−6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$62,263 (2015-2019) → $81,989 (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
86.5% (2015-2019) → 92.6% (2020-2024)
+6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateImproving
16.2% (2015-2019) → 11.5% (2020-2024)
−4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
82.8% (2015-2019) → 87.0% (2020-2024)
+4.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Visalia, California improved on 6 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 5 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved6

Poverty−4.7 points16.2% → 11.5%
High school++4.2 points82.8% → 87.0%
Inequality−0.0370.446 → 0.408
Child poverty−6.8 points21.0% → 14.2%
Household income+32%$62,263 → $81,989

Declined3

Unemployment+2 points4.9% → 6.9%
Price / income+0.7×3.8× → 4.5×
Transit use−0.5 points0.9% → 0.4%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Visalia, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.2 min2015-2019	22.9 min2020-2024	+1.6 min	Within the margin of error	30%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.1%2015-2019	24.1%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Broadband subscriptions	86.5%2015-2019	92.6%2020-2024	+6.2 points	Improved	39%
Child poverty rate	21.0%2015-2019	14.2%2020-2024	−6.8 points	Improved	74%
Effective property tax rate	0.87%2015-2019	0.74%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	44%
High school diploma or higher	82.8%2015-2019	87.0%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Improved	78%
Home price to income ratio	3.8×2015-2019	4.5×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	34%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4462015-2019	0.4082020-2024	−0.037	Improved	78%
Median household income	$62,2632015-2019	$81,9892020-2024	+32%	Improved	59%
Poverty rate	16.2%2015-2019	11.5%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Improved	79%
Public transit commuters	0.9%2015-2019	0.4%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Declined	21%
Rent as share of income	30.1%2015-2019	30.1%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent-burdened households	50.2%2015-2019	50.2%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Unemployment rate	4.9%2015-2019	6.9%2020-2024	+2 points	Declined	16%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.2%2015-2019	6.9%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	38%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Visalia, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Visalia, California in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Visalia, California itself moved +2.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

143,939 residents (±53)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 women (−1.6 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

143,939 residents (±53)

Visalia, California
California share

White35%50,259
Black2.0%2,906
Hispanic or Latino53%76,422
Asian6.2%8,920
American Indian and Alaska Native0.2%†329
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%†48
Other or two or more races3.5%5,055

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−3.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

91,413 residents (±1,344)

Visalia, California
California share

No high school diploma13%11,866
High school or GED27%24,788
Some college24%22,299
Associate degree11%10,472
Bachelor's degree15%13,569
Graduate degree9.2%8,419

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: High school or GED (+5.9 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

47,089 households (±887)

Visalia, California
California share

Under $25k10%4,772
$25k–50k17%7,877
$50k–75k18%8,315
$75k–100k15%7,190
$100k–150k21%9,747
$150k–200k8.0%3,765
$200k or more12%5,423

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−8.6 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

47,089 households (±887)

Visalia, California
California share

Own61%28,761
Rent39%18,328

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

17,327 households (±1,190)

Visalia, California
California share

Under $7507.2%1,245
$750–1,0008.0%1,382
$1,000–1,50036%6,175

Home values

28,761 homes (±1,089)

Visalia, California
California share

Under $150k6.8%1,955
$150k–250k12%3,490
$250k–400k39%11,228

Age of homes

49,292 homes (±846)

Visalia, California
California share

2010 or later14%6,762
2000–200921%10,396
1980–199928%13,570

Size of homes

49,292 homes (±846)

Visalia, California
California share

Studio1.5%†763
1 bedroom4.3%2,127
2 bedrooms23%11,094

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

62,775 workers (±1,618)

Visalia, California
California share

Drive alone77%48,151
Carpool12%7,691
Public transit0.4%†242
Walk1.5%†942
Bike0.2%†144
Work from home8.0%5,051
Other0.9%†554

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−6.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

57,724 workers (±1,704)

Visalia, California
California share

Under 15 min40%22,808
15–29 min34%19,640
30–44 min12%6,696

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Visalia, CA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Tulare County, the county holding most of Visalia's residents.

Tulare County has 7,189 employer establishments, 150 for every 10,000 residents (0.60× the US rate of 248; 0.57× California's), with 107,492 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,688. The Census Bureau also counts 24,952 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 7,189; 24,952 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 150; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 107,492
Average annual pay: $52,688; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Tulare County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	737	15.3	0.74×Fewer than typical	6,800	$70,640	919
Restaurants and other eating places	664	13.8	0.75×Fewer than typical	11,192	$23,498	179
Specialty trade contractors	484	10.1	0.65×Fewer than typical	4,499	$55,512	1,083
Lessors of real estate	339	7.1	0.57×Fewer than typical	993	$45,601	2,090
Limited-service restaurants	324	6.7	0.84×About typical	6,193	$21,974	75
Offices of physicians	303	6.3	0.97×About typical	1,586	$92,846	197
Truck transportation	285	5.9	1.17×About typical	2,491	$67,708	1,178
Automotive repair and maintenance	227	4.7	0.94×About typical	1,347	$42,240	537
Full-service restaurants	223	4.6	0.60×Fewer than typical	3,568	$26,391	56
Services to buildings and dwellings	207	4.3	0.64×Fewer than typical	1,686	$37,900	1,958
Construction of buildings	190	4	0.52×Fewer than typical	1,295	$70,529	681
Building equipment contractors	188	3.9	0.65×Fewer than typical	1,841	$68,532	245

Rank places for an industry Open Tulare County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 480,816 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $9.2M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Visalia, California: $64.24 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $9.2M; −28% vs FY2025
Per resident: $64.24; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Agricultural Marketing Service$9.2M99%
Defense Logistics Agency$64.3K0.7%
Forest Service$9,4910.1%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$2,7020.0%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

1.7MFY2017
2.3MFY2018
1.5MFY2019
4.7MFY2020
2.3MFY2021
982.4KFY2022
3.4MFY2023
3.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other food manufacturing · 3119$8.3M89%
Grain and oilseed milling · 3112$917.7K9.9%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$67.1K0.7%
Traveler accommodation · 7211$7,8650.1%
Cattle ranching and farming · 1121$2,7020.0%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$1,6260.0%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Visalia, California, so they do not add up across cities.

Visalia, California's figures are part of those of Tulare County, CA ($78.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 12% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Visalia is mostly in Tulare County.

See federal money in Tulare County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Visalia, California is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Tulare County17100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Visalia, CA11

Other cities and towns in Tulare County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0682954

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends