What it's like to live in Kingsburg
Kingsburg is a small city in California with rent below the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Kingsburg deals with county unemployment above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, college degree attainment below the national average, and larger class sizes than the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Low crime rates
- Growing population
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- Hot summers
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Kingsburg compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Kingsburg
Based on Kingsburg's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,554
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $51,080 a year
- 44% of Kingsburg renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$74,760
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $37,380
- Homes cost 4.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,277/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,277 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices run above average, with a median around $373,800. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $373,800 · 44% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
8.5% county unemployment
Unemployment in Fresno County is 8.5%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Fresno County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 57% below US
143 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 789/100k · Kingsburg Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.9 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 96°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 38°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 50% below US
18% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
10 public schools inside the boundary
There are 10 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 23:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (55 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Kingsburg's strongest points are rent below the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are county unemployment above the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,277/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up.
Other places near Kingsburg
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