Population
Fresno
543,615
Mesa
507,478
Median Income
Fresno
$66,804
Mesa
$78,779
Home Value
Fresno
$348,500
Mesa
$364,300
Rent
Fresno
$1,324
Mesa
$1,478
Crime Rate
Fresno
7.36
Mesa
4.83
Cost of Living
Fresno
120.1
Mesa
129.4
Avg Temp
Fresno
65°F
Mesa
73°F
Unemployment
Fresno
8.7%
Mesa
4.6%
How Similar Are Fresno & Mesa?
Mesa is Fresno's #20 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Fresno
543,615
Mesa
507,478
Both cities have similar populations — Fresno at 543,615 and Mesa at 507,478.
Violent Crime
Fresno
7.36
Mesa
4.83
Fresno has a 34% higher violent crime than Mesa.
Property Crime
Fresno
32.71
Mesa
14.65
Fresno's property crime is significantly higher than Mesa's — 55% difference.
Political Leaning
Fresno
50.9%
Mesa
51.2%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Fresno
8.7%
Mesa
4.6%
Fresno has a 47% higher unemployment than Mesa.
Median Income
Fresno
$66,804
Mesa
$78,779
Mesa has a 15% higher median income than Fresno.
Home Values
Fresno
$348,500
Mesa
$364,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 4% difference.
Education
Fresno
15.4%
Mesa
21.5%
Mesa has a 28% higher education than Fresno.
Demographics
Fresno
38.0%
Mesa
69.7%
Mesa has a 45% higher demographics than Fresno.
Cost of Living
Fresno
120.1
Mesa
129.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Fresno and Mesa share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Fresno
0
Mesa
Mesa leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Fresno leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDFresno has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,355 vs $1,583 in Mesa (14% lower). Fresno has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,664 vs $1,839 in Mesa (10% lower). Fresno scores 94.9 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 104.4 in Mesa.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMesa has a median property tax of $1,549 vs $2,586 in Fresno (67% lower). Fresno has a vacancy rate of 4.4% compared to 11.3% in Mesa. Mesa has a owner-occupied of 64.3% compared to 49.7% in Fresno.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Mesa leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMesa has a poverty rate of 10.5% compared to 20.9% in Fresno. Mesa has a unemployment rate of 4.6% compared to 8.7% in Fresno. Mesa has a work from home of 16.9% compared to 10.2% in Fresno.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Mesa leads
Source: FBI UCRMesa has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.50 compared to 1.68 in Fresno. Mesa has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 14.65 compared to 32.71 in Fresno. Mesa has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.06 in Fresno.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate — Mesa leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoMesa: 10.7" vs Fresno: 16.4" for annual rainfall. Mesa has a avg humidity of 35.8% compared to 54.7% in Fresno. Mesa averages 73°F, about 8°F cooler than Fresno.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Mesa leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMesa has a bachelor's degree or higher of 21.5% compared to 15.4% in Fresno. Mesa has a high school diploma or higher of 37.8% compared to 29.6% in Fresno.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFresno has a population of 543,615, about 1.1x the size of Mesa (507,478). Fresno skews younger with a median age of 32.4 vs 37.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Fresno
Mesa
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareFresno: 4 vs Mesa: 3 for with emergency services. Mesa: 2.8 vs Fresno: 2.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Fresno leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFresno has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 0.9% in Mesa. Mesa has a work from home of 16.9% compared to 10.2% in Fresno. Fresno has a drive alone of 73.7% compared to 67.7% in Mesa.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Fresno, CA
Compare Fresno against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.