© OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap
Moving to
Fresno.
Fresno is an unincorporated community in Fort Bend County, TX. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Fresno
Fresno is an unincorporated community in Texas with home prices that remain within reach, household incomes running above the national average, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Fresno deals with rent well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, a population that has been shrinking, and hot summers.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Above-average commute times
- Shrinking population
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Fresno compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Fresno
Based on Fresno's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,056
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $81,120 a year
- 47% of Fresno renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$48,700
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $24,350
- Homes cost 2.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 44% above US
$2,028/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,028 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $243,500. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $243,500 · 47% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.3% county unemployment
Unemployment in Fort Bend County is 4.3%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Fort Bend County (county-wide)
Safety
119 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Fresno doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 761/100k · Policed by Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 29% above US
34 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 33.5 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 92°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 45°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 35% below US
23% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 23%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Big Thicket National Preserve (90 miles away).
Bottom line
Fresno's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($2,028/mo) equals 27% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget, people who dread long commutes, and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Fresno
All Texas guides →Not sure Fresno is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.