Pros and Cons of Moving to Fresno, California: What You Need to Know

Fresno, California at a Glance 

Nestled in the San Joaquin Valley between the azure waves of the Pacific and the shadows of the Sierra Nevada, Fresno is an agricultural titan that is quickly becoming a cultural capital, too.   

A produce, meat and dairy hotspot, Fresno County has long been one of the nation’s most bountiful places in California’s Central Valley. Grapes and almonds are the biggest of the 300 crops grown here, but tomatoes and garlic also make the top ten, so you likely have Fresno to thank for that organic marinara you’re having for dinner. But there’s one product that we wouldn’t have at all if it weren’t for Fresno: U.S. raisins. That’s right: 100% of the nation’s raisins are grown and sun-dried within 60 miles of Fresno. And without raisins, we wouldn’t have oatmeal-raisin cookies, cinnamon-raisin bread, disappointing Halloween hand-outs or — most importantly — the animated California Raisins, who prefer to remain in retirement, uneaten. 

All this bounty isn’t just delicious — it contributes more than $8 billion to the California economy and supplies 20% of the jobs in the area. This economic boon does have a downside, though. Farm work is traditionally low-paying, seasonally based and climatically sensitive, so unemployment in Fresno is much higher than the average American city, even when other job sectors are performing well. 

With more than 500,000 residents in the city and 1 million + in the county, Fresno is California’s fifth-largest city. And, unlike Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose, Fresno has seen remarkable growth over the past decade, even after the pandemic. One of the biggest draws is the city’s affordability. If you can handle the desert-like climate, Fresno is a sunny, budget-friendly place to call home in pricy CA.  

Fresno’s diverse cultural amenities provide another appealing lure. The Fresno Philharmonic to the African American Historical and Cultural Museum of the San Joaquin Valley and the Downtown Mural District give the city a unique vibrance. But it’s the three national parks within 90 minutes of Fresno that draw visitors from far and wide.  

If you’re looking for a Western city with a lower cost of living, Fresno should be on your list. Learn more about the city below in our moving guide, where we’ll discuss the pros and cons of living in Fresno, from the location to the job market, climate and recreational activities.  

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Perks of Moving to Fresno 

Affordability 

The average house in San Diego now costs $783,300, and a house in San Francisco will set you back an average of $1.3 million, but what about real estate in the Central Valley? The median home value in Fresno averaged just under $322,000 between 2018-2022 — less than half the cost of the average home in California. Those without a mortgage also saw huge savings. Renter paid an average of $1,227/mo compared to their statewide counterparts, who shelled out an average of $1,856/mo during the same period.  

The cost of dwelling in California’s coastal giants has driven many residents out of urban centers from San Jose to Los Angeles, and while some have left the state entirely, others have moved to more affordable inland cities like Fresno. A total of 545,716 people now call the city home, compared to just 494,665 in 2010. While this is still little more than half the population of San Jose, Fresno has gained nearly 4,000 new residents in the last three years, while its northern neighbor lost ten times that amount.  

But Fresno’s relatively affordable housing must be balanced by its lower income rates. The average California household brings home $91,905 annually, but Fresno residents earn only $63,001 a year per household, and 22.1% of residents live below the poverty line — twice the national average. 

When planning your budget for Fresno, you’ll also want to familiarize yourself with California’s tax codes if you’re moving from out of state. It’s no secret California doesn’t usually earn any merit badges for low taxes, but it often does for social services and climate action. According to the Tax Foundation, California’s graduated income tax rate is one of the highest in the nation. So if you’re earning more than $1 million, you’ll be in that 13.3% bracket for state personal income taxes. California has an 8.82% sales tax rate and an 8.84% corporate income tax rate, putting it in the #7 spot nationally. California’s property tax rates are more appealing, however — the state’s effective tax rate of 0.68% makes tax-queasy Texas look like it’s giving a bureaucratic shake-down to residents with its 1.47% rate — one of the highest in the country.  

Please note: We are not tax experts and are not offering tax advice, other than you should consider obtaining additional information and advice from your legal and/or financial advisers who are fully aware of your circumstances. 

Central Location

Perhaps not as picturesque as California’s rugged coastline, Fresno’s inland location does have its advantages — it’s easy to get to all the major destinations in the state and many outside it, too.  

The Fresno-Yosemite International Airport is the largest in Central California, and it offers direct flights to three destinations in Mexico and thirteen major U.S. cities, including San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Amtrak provides service between Fresno and Bakersfield, which lies to the south, and you can also take the train to several destinations to the north, including the Golden Gate City, San Jose and Vancouver. 

Living in Fresno also puts you within easy driving distance of some of the country’s most beloved national parks as well as cities on the Pacific Ocean. If you leave your house at 8 a.m., you could be surfing at Monterey State Beach by lunchtime.   

Recreation Activities and Attractions

The airport in Fresno isn’t called Yosemite International for nothing. There are three national parks within 90 minutes of the city — Yosemite National Park, Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park — and several others aren’t more than a half day’s drive away, including Death Valley and Pinnacles National Park, where the mysterious talus caves await.  

Besides the quick-tempered gunslinger named Sam, Yosemite is best known for its rock climbing. The jaw-dropping “big walls” of the park are open to even overnight expeditions by intrepid climbers, but you need not don a harness to appreciate the awe of these sheer-faced beauties. There are family-friendly day hikes on Glacier Point Road, and those who enjoy polar plunges can cool off in the peaks’ alpine lakes. Check with a ranger to see which ones are open to swimmers.  

Sequoia & King’s Canyon National Park are well known for their majestic, towering trees, but high above the tops of the giant sequoias, a geological wonder beckons — the Moro Rock. Perched atop this smooth, granite dome, the day’s troubles may seem small compared to the vast panorama of wilderness around you. Egos have been known to go permanently missing down this smooth rock face, replaced with a sense of gratitude and grandeur.  

In addition to the nearby national parks, there is plenty to explore within Fresno city limits. Families always enjoy a visit to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, where kids will jump up and down to see the Roo Walkabout — a special walk-through exhibit populated by kangaroos, wallabies and kookaburras, who might just be sitting in an old gum tree.  

One of the most unusual outdoor marvels of the region is the Forestiere Underground Gardens. Built by an enterprising — and overheated — Sicilian immigrant at the turn of the last century, these subterranean passageways and piazzas were hand-excavated by Baldassare Forestiere, who dug deep to keep cool. The mature citrus trees and grapevines that grace this most unusual botanic space will surely be one of your favorite respites from the California sun, too.  

And when you live in an agricultural haven like Fresno, you’ll surely want to taste the bounty of the region for yourself. One of the best places to do so is at the Vineyard Famers Market. We can’t imagine a more beautiful venue to sample organic pistachios, heirloom tomatoes and freshly squeezed orange juice. Each fall, mycological fanatics crowd the venue for the Fresno Fungi Festival, where you can eat mushrooms, dress like mushrooms and even sleep mushrooms because if you doze off at this event, you will be colonized by mushrooms — most likely the oyster variety, which we learned at last year’s festival are fast-growing.  

Fresno County’s museum and arts scene is anchored by heavyweights like the Fresno Philharmonic and the Fresno Art Museum, but there are also loads of great indie spaces in town. The Fresno Arts District might not exist at all without Arte Américas, an organization founded nearly 40 years ago to celebrate Latinx arts and culture. The Tower District is filled with small art galleries like Corridor 2122, an art cooperative that showcases contemporary works. Downtown Fresno is enlivened by public murals, and annual events like the Rogue Festival keep the city on its funky toes.  

Fresno’s other must-dos include skiing at China Peak, watching Grizzlies’ games — the city’s MiLB team — and visiting the many cultural museums, from the Armenian Heritage Museum to the African American Historical and Cultural Museum of the San Joaquin Valley. 

Cons of Moving to Fresno

Hot Summers

One of the biggest negatives about living in sunny Fresno is, well, the sun. The city’s hot and dry season grows hotter and drier every year, and you can expect temperatures to exceed 100°F for at least four months of the year now if not more. August 2022 saw a high of 114°F. 

From June to September, no meaningful rain is likely to fall in Fresno, and temperatures will average around 82°F. Evening time will usually bring the mercury below 70°F, though, and you’ll never have to deal with the humidity that makes sunny Southeastern states so oppressive.  

Winter brings refreshing rains, and for this arid region of the country, Fresno receives an impressive 11 inches a year. January, February and March are soaked in an average of two inches of rain per month, but the spigot dwindles, um — precipitously — through the springtime. You won’t see much in the way of snow in Fresno because it rarely drops below freezing here. But the slopes of the Sierra Nevada are only a short drive away. 

Spring and fall are brief in California’s Central Valley, but since you’ll endure most of the climatic extremes in the summer months, the tradeoff is having relatively mild temperatures during the rest of the year.  

The biggest downside to living in Fresno is the poor air quality. Ozone buildup and particle pollution are both common culprits for the city’s flunking report cards from the American Lung Association. The city’s pollution numbers have improved since the mid-1990s when grunge was king…coincidence? In any case, you may want to think twice about moving to Fresno if you suffer from respiratory issues.  

High Unemployment Rates  

There’s no hiding the fact that Fresno struggles with unemployment rates. With a fifth of its workforce supported directly by agricultural production, employment sometimes precariously balances on changes in the weather and volatile market demands. This leads to chronically high unemployment rates, which sat at 7.6% in August 2024. But how does the 80% of the area’s workforce fare — the residents who don’t work in agriculture? Let’s take a look.  

Fresno’s nonfarm civilian workforce now contains nearly 400,000 people across various industries. The largest sector in Fresno is Education and Healthcare, which grew 3.8% between August of 2023 and August of 2024 and employs 87,600 area residents. Because Fresno is home to the 144^th Fighter Wing, a division of the Air National Guard since 1948, the government employs many area residents, too — more than 78,000 currently, an increase of 3.4% over the previous year. Trade, transportation and utilities are similarly robust, supporting 77,000 jobs.  

Most Fresno industries saw growth over the past year, resulting in a 2.2% increase in the labor force. However, some of the region’s smaller sectors experienced declines, none more so than Information, which dropped by 7.1%, mirroring national trends.  

Tips for Relocating to Fresno, California 

Let Mayflower’s team of trusted movers handle your relocation to Fresno. For nearly 100 years, Mayflower has been the nation’s most trusted mover, helping families just like yours move long-distance to cities across the U.S.  

Get a moving quote now for Fresno, California. 

If you’re moving cross-country to Fresno, Mayflower offers full-service moving packages to make your move a seamless experience. Our professional, long-distance movers are licensed for interstate moves, and our nationwide network of movers can make moving long-distance a snap. Not sure what services you need? Check out our customizable moving packages. We can handle all the details, including packing and unpacking, debris removal, storage services, car shipping and more. 

Follow these tips to hire a good mover.  

If you’re moving within the city of Fresno or the state of California, our interstate Fresno movers can help you with local moves independently under their brands and businesses. 

Whether you want to go the DIY route or leave everything to the pros, Mayflower’s team of experts has tips to help keep your family sane during the move. Use our moving checklist and planner to plan out your move, week by week. Learn about the easy steps you can take to help your family settle in after the big move. And when you have moving questions, our digital guide, Welcome HOME magazine, has all the answers. 

Still not sure which city is right for your family to move to? Mayflower has state guides and city guides to the most popular destinations in the country.  

Remember, now is also the time to start planning for other parts of your move. Our blogs will help you stay on top of all the biggest moving tasks, from gathering important documents to researching schools for the kids. 

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