Housing Report for Fresno

In Fresno, the U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division accounted for a total of 292,733 housing structures in 2005. The metro area has seen a medium-high growth level in the number housing units, adding all together 18,601 homes since 2001, or 6.8 percent.

The owner-occupied dwellings in Fresno, California have increased very sharply from the real estate values reported in 2000. The valuations have increased by $144,200, or 135 percent, from 2000 when they had reported median values of $106,800.

Fresno had a median home value in the year 2005 of $251,000, accounted by the American Community Survey. This home value is less than the overall California 2005 median home value of $477,700 and greater than home value of $167,500 across the United States during the same year.

Throughout the State of California, Fresno ranks 13 of the 26 metro areas by percentage growth in residential real estate. The metro area is positioned 137 of 361, comparing the percentage change in residential real estate in other US MSAs.

Fresno can be understood as having a relatively high percentage of high-priced residential real estate. For the year 2005, the American Community Survey counted that 10.2 percent of owner-occupied dwellings were valued over a half a million dollars.

There seems to be a limited amount of affordable housing in Fresno, California. In 2005, only 15.3 percent of residential real estate was valued under $125,000.

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Employment Report for Fresno, California -- Annual 2005 Industry Summary

In Fresno, Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, Retail Trade, and the Health care and social assistance sectors are the largest industries, in terms of total number of jobs in 2005. The Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting provides the most jobs and contributes 16.7 percent of the total MSA employment. This totals 46,527 jobs. The Retail Trade and Health care and social assistance industries total 12.7 and 11.9 percent of industry employment.

A well-paying sector in Fresno is the utilities sector paying an annual wage of $71,974. Throughout the MSA since the year 2001, the annual average pay of the industry has grown by 22.8 percent or $13,358. The State of California shows a similar job market in the utilities industry, falling near the top of industries in term of the average annual pay of 2004.

In Fresno, Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, Other services, except public administration and Construction have the highest US LQ in 2005. The Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry has an LQ of 15.88. The percent of employment in the Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry is 15.88 times greater than the national average, signifying that Fresno specializes in Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting.

Professional and technical services in the period of 2001 to 2005 had the largest increase in employment in Fresno, increasing in size by 34.7 percent. This is greater than the industry employment change in the United States of 2.6 percent. The State of California encountered a change in industry employment of -1 percent, during the period of 2001 to 2005.

Manufacturing has the largest businesses in Fresno MSA, with the industry averaging 40 workers per each place of employment, being greater than the industry's average in the United States of 39 and greater than the State of California establishments size average of 32 for the Manufacturing industry.

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting saw the largest loss of employment between the years 2001-2005 in the Fresno MSA. The sector faced a loss of 2,105 employees during the period, or 4.3 percent of industry's employment. The industry declines made up 48.3 percent of the total loss in employment during the period.





Datasource: U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW).