Jobs, pay and daily life in Visalia, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Visalia is a city in California with 143,939 residents. The median household earns $81,989 a year and the median rent is $1,490 a month, which is 21.8% of the median household income. It is part of the Visalia, CA metropolitan area, where BLS counts 171,140 jobs.
How Visalia compares. Among the 145 places in California, Visalia is #40 by population, #7 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #131 for remote work (#1 = most), #120 for household income (#1 = highest). Its county, Tulare County, is #53 of 58 counties for average pay ($53,038).
Visalia has 143,939 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.4% of the population of California. It covers 39 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 3,739 people per square mile. The median age is 33.9, 11% younger than the state median (33.9 against 37.9).
The median gross rent is $1,490 a month (rent plus utilities), 27% below the state median ($1,490 against $2,036). Over a year that is 21.8% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $371,500, which is 4.5 times the median household income ($81,989). 61.1% of households own their home, 9% above the state average (61.1% against 55.9%).
The Visalia, CA metropolitan area has 171,140 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $45,130 a year, 11% below the national median ($45,130 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are farming, fishing, and forestry (23,900 jobs, median $34,800); transportation and material moving (18,420 jobs, median $42,730); office and administrative support (14,860 jobs, median $48,650). The area is most specialised in farming, fishing, and forestry (49.9 times) and healthcare support (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($111,420) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($98,570). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Tulare County was 9.8%. 64.2% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Tulare County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 76.7% drive alone, 0.4% use public transit, 1.5% walk, 8.1% work from home. 14.9% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 23% below the state average (14.9% against 19.4%).
24.1% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 35% below the state share (24.1% against 37.1%). 14.0% of residents were born outside the United States, 48% below the state share (14.0% against 27.0%). The poverty rate is 11.5%, 4% below the state rate (11.5% against 12.0%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 87°F (30.5°C), and the coolest is Dec at 49°F (9.7°C). About 422 mm (17 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Dec is the wettest month (80 mm) and Aug the driest (3 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Clovis (40 miles, rent 20% higher); Fresno (41 miles, rent 5% lower); Bakersfield (69 miles, similar rent); Merced (93 miles, rent 7% lower). Rent differences are against Visalia; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in California (1,708) →State guide: CaliforniaCountry guideTulare CountyCalifornia rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 1,708 federal postings open in California (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in California →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 21,420 | 73.29 | $34,800 | $34,320 | $38,240 | -2% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 8,220 | 1.73 | $34,320 | $34,320 | $36,210 | -4% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 4,850 | 1.14 | $38,600 | $34,390 | $45,320 | +24% |
| Cashiers | 4,110 | 1.21 | $34,770 | $34,320 | $43,960 | +6% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 4,070 | 1.25 | $39,960 | $34,320 | $54,790 | -1% |
| Retail Salespersons | 3,920 | 0.91 | $35,990 | $34,320 | $47,140 | +2% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 3,780 | 1.21 | $42,080 | $35,120 | $48,690 | +13% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 3,060 | 1.35 | $51,530 | $36,010 | $89,030 | -12% |
| Registered Nurses | 2,990 | 0.80 | $125,180 | $97,560 | $160,680 | +28% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 2,760 | 1.77 | $45,230 | $36,510 | $55,410 | +23% |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,440 | 0.90 | $46,190 | $35,360 | $62,720 | +3% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 2,440 | 1.60 | $98,430 | $62,490 | $126,220 | +54% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 2,380 | 0.98 | $38,000 | $34,320 | $57,240 | +3% |
| General and Operations Managers | 2,080 | 0.54 | $98,600 | $51,480 | $204,120 | -7% |
| Substitute Teachers, Short-Term | 1,880 | 3.25 | $56,040 | $38,430 | $69,150 | +34% |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 1,730 | 2.03 | $46,590 | $36,400 | $59,030 | +0% |
| Medical Assistants | 1,580 | 1.76 | $47,140 | $36,720 | $56,260 | +3% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,530 | 0.96 | $46,810 | $38,740 | $55,120 | +11% |
| Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 1,530 | 3.67 | $42,130 | $35,760 | $60,510 | -3% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,450 | 0.86 | $50,580 | $36,090 | $78,400 | +2% |
These figures are for the whole Visalia, CA metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $45,130 (US $50,980); unemployment 9.8% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 25.9% |
| Retail trade | 9.5% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 9.4% |
| Manufacturing | 8.1% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 7.6% |
| Construction | 7.5% |
| Public administration | 7.3% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 6.6% |
| Other services | 5.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 4.5% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 3.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.0% |
| Information | 1.9% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Visalia lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulare County | 478,693 | $25,415 million | $53,092 | 177,657 | 14,758 | $53,038 | +1.6% | 9.8% | 217,383 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 36,225 | 25.5% | $38,178 | 25.19 |
| Health care and social assistance | 20,651 | 14.6% | $46,913 | 0.81 |
| Retail trade | 16,923 | 11.9% | $37,311 | 0.95 |
| Manufacturing | 13,156 | 9.3% | $67,481 | 0.90 |
| Accommodation and food services | 12,919 | 9.1% | $26,795 | 0.80 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 9,224 | 6.5% | $69,126 | 1.23 |
| Administrative and waste services | 7,499 | 5.3% | $48,573 | 0.72 |
| Construction | 7,182 | 5.1% | $63,958 | 0.77 |
| Wholesale trade | 4,093 | 2.9% | $77,811 | 0.58 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3,603 | 2.5% | $45,263 | 0.67 |
| Professional and technical services | 2,548 | 1.8% | $72,273 | 0.21 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,974 | 1.4% | $80,442 | 0.27 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,417 | 1.0% | $53,902 | 0.51 |
| Educational services | 1,154 | 0.8% | $46,630 | 0.31 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,085 | 0.8% | $25,789 | 0.36 |
| Utilities | 811 | 0.6% | $155,508 | 1.20 |
| Management of companies | 789 | 0.6% | $83,164 | 0.26 |
| Information | 578 | 0.4% | $77,198 | 0.17 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 79 | 0.1% | $83,370 | 0.12 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 76.7% |
| Public transit | 0.4% |
| Walk | 1.5% |
| Work from home | 8.1% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 14.9% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $81,989 |
| Income per person | $34,609 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,490 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 21.8% |
| Median home value | $371,500 |
| Homeowners | 61.1% |
| Poverty rate | 11.5% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 99.8 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $45,130 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 13.30%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 33.9 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 87.0% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 24.1% |
| Born abroad | 14.0% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 64.2% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.2 | 50 | 76 |
| Feb | 11.0 | 52 | 68 |
| Mar | 13.4 | 56 | 61 |
| Apr | 16.0 | 61 | 41 |
| May | 21.0 | 70 | 20 |
| Jun | 26.7 | 80 | 4 |
| Jul | 30.5 | 87 | 5 |
| Aug | 29.3 | 85 | 3 |
| Sep | 26.4 | 80 | 4 |
| Oct | 20.2 | 68 | 22 |
| Nov | 14.2 | 58 | 38 |
| Dec | 9.7 | 49 | 80 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clovis | CA | 40 mi | 124,725 | $99,241 | $1,792 |
| Fresno | CA | 41 mi | 545,970 | $70,991 | $1,421 |
| Bakersfield | CA | 69 mi | 411,986 | $80,540 | $1,472 |
| Merced | CA | 93 mi | 91,953 | $63,122 | $1,393 |
| Santa Maria | CA | 115 mi | 110,462 | $84,746 | $1,925 |
| Modesto | CA | 129 mi | 219,215 | $79,891 | $1,690 |
| Lancaster | CA | 130 mi | 169,169 | $81,511 | $1,764 |
| Salinas | CA | 130 mi | 161,761 | $91,908 | $1,991 |
| Gilroy | CA | 134 mi | 59,004 | $133,107 | $2,301 |
| Santa Barbara | CA | 135 mi | 87,779 | $106,182 | $2,413 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
143,939 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,490 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 21.8% of the median household income.
$81,989 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
9.8% (BLS county, Tulare County (latest month 2026M09)).
California. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.