Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,745, settled in 1882.
Fowler grades D overall, ranked 692nd of 841 in California, mostly because of health and safety. Residents are less healthy than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its crime rate is higher than 75% of U.S. towns, with 35 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: its schools outperform 64% of the state's. Fowler’s typical July afternoon high is 98°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. On hazard risk, just 50 of California’s 1,064 towns do better. Fowler's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns.
5,570 counted in 2010 and 6,700 in 2020; an estimated 7,745 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 15% since 2020, after 20.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Fowler is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 675 in 1910, 6,700 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 5 maps from 1923 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fowler, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Fowler.
Fowler carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly drought), fares better on crime within California than nationally and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
In Fowler, 21% of adults have been diagnosed with depression. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Fowler is ahead of California on 1 and behind on 18. Among adults in the town, 31% say their health is fair or poor and 34% get no exercise outside work.
| Fowler | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 22% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 24% | 25% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Fowler | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.1% | 6.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 29% | 17.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The largest public high school is Fowler High, with 807 students. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by the Fowler Unified school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Sutter MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 579 | B− |
| Fowler HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 807 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Typical home values rose 2% in the year to September 2026. The midpoint rent for Fowler comes to $1,218 a month. On the market in the town: a median 14 days to sell.
| Fowler | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,218 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 31.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 56% of California’s graded towns.
Fowler’s violent crime rate stands at 4.6 per 1,000 residents. In Fowler, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 11.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Fowler | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Fresno Yosemite Intl Ap weather station, 11 miles away, records that about 113 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 98.3°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.2°.
Its January low comes in at 39°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fowler has about as many jobs (2,713) as working residents, but only 221 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 21.9 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Only 8% of working residents stay in Fowler for work; the rest commute out. Fowler’s typical journey to work is 22 minutes. Jobs in Fowler grew by 547 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 2,713. Also worth knowing: for residents here, the share who live below the poverty line is 19%.
| Fowler | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 94% of California towns; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA hazard score in Fowler is 44 of 100. 54% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from drought, followed by earthquakes at 24%. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2022.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For Fowler, the concentration of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile. There are 0.6 miles of trail across 2 parks and preserves.
| Fowler | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Panzak Park | — | 2 |
| 2. Kandarian Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fowler. Close and well known come first.
39 mi LakeTulare Lake
39 mi National ParkKings Canyon National Park780K visitors a year
14 mi Stadium & arenaValley Children's Stadium
17 mi MuseumForestiere Underground Gardens
13 mi Stadium & arenaSave Mart Center
10 mi Stadium & arenaChukchansi ParkTulare Lake: Trace Fleeman Garcia, CC0 · Kings Canyon National Park: NileGuide.com (Josh Steinitz), CC BY 2.0 · Valley Children's Stadium: Emedina00, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Forestiere Underground Gardens: R&sbwn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Save Mart Center: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 · Chukchansi Park: YAHQQLIGAN, CC BY 2.0
7 within 15 miles of the center of Fowler
About 13 of every 100 Fowler residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
6 notable people were born in Fowler.
City in California, United States
Fowler (formerly, Fowler's Switch) is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. It is located within the San Joaquin Valley. It has a strong agricultural community, with lush grape vineyards and expansive farmland. Fowler is located 11 miles (18 km) southeast of downtown Fresno, at an elevation of 308 feet (94 m). The population was 6,700 at the 2020 census, and 5,570 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fowler grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #692 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health, C for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. That is 6.3 years of the area's median household income ($74,468 across the Fresno, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
6 notable people were born here, including Victor Davis Hanson and E. Hoffmann Price.
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