Sanger, California

Area Profile

26,699 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Sanger, in Fresno County.

46out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 11% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 16 sources
Opportunity3,437th of 4,199 cities measured40
Schools2,881st of 4,162 cities measured35
GrowthTop 32% of 4,224 cities measured58
Housing affordability2,695th of 4,218 cities measured60
Climate2,247th of 4,225 cities measured70
Physical resilience3,865th of 4,226 cities measured12
AccessTop 43% of 4,226 cities measured94
Economic stability3,136th of 4,226 cities measured43
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable cities measured: unemployment is 9.6% and the Opportunity signal places Sanger in the bottom 18%.

In the public schools here, 36% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 21.1 students for every teacher. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Fresno County, CA, which contains Sanger, rather than for Sanger alone.

Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 109 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 40% on the prior year. That follows a longer stretch moving the other way, through 2025.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
26,699
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$77,500
Top 36% nationally
Density
4,292/sq mi
6.2 sq mi of land
Median age
30.9
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
California
Metro area
Nearest major airport
FAT
10 mi · Fresno Yosemite Intl
Median home value
$364,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 9.6% — higher than in all but 1% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment fell 0.4% over the past year, to 11,031 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsFresno County, CA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$58,28423rd percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftFresno County, CA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$62,24827th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$9,3082024 ACS 5-Year$77,500Top 36%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,1232024 ACS 5-Year$27,072Bottom 27%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year15.5%Bottom 33%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year25.0 minTop 41%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year13.5%Bottom 30%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year78.7%55th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202611,031Bottom 4%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+1.5%Top 25%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−0.4%Top 42%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202612,2005th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year75.5%Bottom 41%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageFresno, CA Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$63,820Bottom 27%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageFresno, CA Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$46,910Bottom 16%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year0.5%79th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.4%Top 29%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20269.6%Bottom 1%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year5.4%38th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/07117.4
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 9.6% in July 2026. It has been rising for the last 2 months, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202478k60k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $77,500 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — Fresno, CA

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Home Health and Personal Care Aides33,580$34,320
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse28,570$34,610
Fast Food and Counter Workers12,330$39,480
Registered Nurses11,030$125,420
Cashiers9,780$35,270
Retail Salespersons9,290$36,460

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

36% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 50% in reading, across the schools here that reported results. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Fresno County, CA, which contains Sanger, rather than for Sanger alone.

There are 21.1 students for every full-time teacher, more than in most measured places. The student-teacher ratio is published for Fresno County, CA, which contains Sanger, rather than for Sanger alone.

Public schools
—
Students per teacher
21.1
Math proficiency
35.8%
Bottom 42% in California
Reading proficiency
50.3%
Bottom 40% in California

The proficiency and staffing figures above are for Fresno County, CA: too few schools in Sanger reported a usable figure on their own to weight one honestly.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against California’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 4% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 104.0, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Fresno, CA Metro Area is up 36% over five years, and up 2.0% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,520 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.69% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,664, some 38% above the $1,209 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,664 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $66,600 a year, about 86% of the median household income here of $77,500.

The typical renter household here spends 34% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,209 a month.

A median home at $364,800 costs 3.5 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $103,604, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Cost of living
104.0

Prices here run about 4% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the Fresno, CA Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
33.6%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.5×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,664
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,209
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$364,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Sanger’s median household income of $77,500, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Fresno, CA Metro Area’s figure2023104.0Bottom 37%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Fresno, CA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+2.0%34th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Fresno, CA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+35.5%30th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Fresno, CA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+95.5%52nd percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.42024 ACS 5-Year3.5Bottom 24%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year64.4%27th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±3392024 ACS 5-Year7,68892nd percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,355Top 47%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$2,314Bottom 43%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,664Top 49%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$922024 ACS 5-Year$1,209Bottom 31%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$11,7342024 ACS 5-Year$364,80079th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$2512024 ACS 5-Year$2,52066th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$10,2442024 ACS 5-Year$103,604Top 24%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.07%2024 ACS 5-Year0.69%28th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year33.6%Bottom 25%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±252024 ACS 5-Year01st percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.0%1st percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year4.8%38th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1752024 ACS 5-Year37086th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

58/ 100
Top 32% of 4,224 published city profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has fallen 1% since 2020, to 26,649 in 2024.

Permitting has turned downward after moving the other way the year before: 102 units authorized in 2025, 7% below the prior year.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 109 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

Federal tax returns show Fresno County, which contains Sanger, lost about 0.5% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $58,284, below the $62,248 of households that moved out.

At 4.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
109
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
4.1
Top 35% nationally
Year over year
+40%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202427k27k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.5%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
28%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$58,284
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$62,248
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Tulare County, CA 2,232 people · 11% of arrivals
  2. Madera County, CA 2,091 people · 10% of arrivals
  3. Los Angeles County, CA 1,285 people · 6.4% of arrivals
  4. Kings County, CA 916 people · 4.5% of arrivals
  5. Santa Clara County, CA 722 people · 3.6% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Madera County, CA 2,708 people · 11% of departures
  2. Tulare County, CA 2,092 people · 8.7% of departures
  3. Kings County, CA 1,219 people · 5.1% of departures
  4. Los Angeles County, CA 1,093 people · 4.5% of departures
  5. Sacramento County, CA 778 people · 3.2% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Fresno County, CA. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

20202021202220232024202511019
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2020 (+437%).

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 98°F and January a low of 41°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 11.0 inches.

Air quality measures a median index of 67, in the Moderate band, and about 79 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

30°50°70°90°110°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station FRESNO YOSEMITE INTL AP, 10.5 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND2.2"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year1262024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals11.0"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals0.0"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals41°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals98°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year792024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year672024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals36°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
67
Moderate on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
126
90th percentile index
Days above 100
79
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

12 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are drought, inland flooding and earthquake, with drought alone responsible for 40% of it.

DroughtHigh
EarthquakeHigh
Inland floodingModerate
WildfireModerate
Heat waveModerate
AvalancheModerate
Volcanic activityModerate

Low or minimal exposure: landslide, hail, lightning, tornado, winter weather, strong wind, cold wave, tsunami, hurricane, ice storm, coastal flooding.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
455
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
1,086
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Sanger's police department reported 455 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, higher than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,086.

Fresno County records 4.3 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 7.5 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 18.8 per 100,000 residents in Fresno County.

Homicide
4.3
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
7.5
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
18.8
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
10.0
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Sanger’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Sanger (Fresno County) rather than Sanger itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Fresno Yosemite Intl at 10 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year88.0%Bottom 42%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle10 miTop 28%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle2Bottom 8%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year8.2%Bottom 46%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Fresno Yosemite IntlFAT10 mi9,539 ft
Meadows FldBFL92 mi10,849 ft
Stockton MetroSCK124 mi10,245 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
46
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Other cities in Fresno, CA

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
FresnoFresno County545,97046Fresno vs Sanger
ClovisFresno County124,72556Clovis vs Sanger
MaderaMadera County67,83135Madera vs Sanger
ReedleyFresno County25,60944
SelmaFresno County24,65937
ChowchillaMadera County19,02039
CoalingaFresno County17,20342
KermanFresno County16,81544
ParlierFresno County14,50735
MendotaFresno County12,57740

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Sanger side by side with a similar place.

Sanger vs HanfordSanger vs Linda

Moving to Sanger from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.