What it's like to live in Selma
Selma is a small city in California with rent below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Selma deals with county unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Rent below the national average
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
How Selma compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Selma
Based on Selma's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,464
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $49,280 a year
- 46% of Selma renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$63,060
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $31,530
- Homes cost 5.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 13% below US
$1,232/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,232 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $315,300. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $315,300 · 46% 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▲ 58% above US
520 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1228/100k · Selma Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 100°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 39°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 72% below US
10% 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. The student-to-teacher ratio is 21:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (58 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Selma's strongest point is rent below the national average; the main tradeoffs are county unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,232/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and people who struggle with heat.
Other places near Selma
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