Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 12,578, settled in 1889.
Lindsay grades D overall, ranked 700th of 841 in California, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $53K, and 33% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 70% of U.S. towns. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in Lindsay, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 48 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on hazard risk. Lindsay's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns.
Where Lindsay’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Lindsay is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,814 in 1910, 12,659 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 4 maps from 1928 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lindsay, 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 Lindsay.
Lindsay carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), fares better on crime within California than nationally and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
The median property tax bill is $2,136, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Lindsay home is worth about $307,000, up 3.8% in a year, 60% below the California typical home. Lindsay’s median rent is $1,009 a month.
| Lindsay | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,009 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Lindsay Unified school district. Two of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 730 | – |
| Lindsay Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,132 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
38% of Lindsay adults say their health is fair or poor. Lindsay beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 19% of Lindsay adults report frequent physical distress.
| Lindsay | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 24% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lindsay | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.2% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 26.8% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 33.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 63% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 330 to 189 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Lindsay is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Lindsay | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Lindsay for work: only 15% work in town. The top destinations are Visalia (13%), Porterville (8%) and Fresno (5%). Half commute less than 14 miles.
| Lindsay | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of California towns, with expected losses of about $147 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lindsay.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Lindsay weather station records that about 116 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 97.8°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.4°.
Lindsay has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Lindsay | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 98°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 38°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.5 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Lindsay | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lindsay City Park | — | 9 |
| 2. Harvard Park | — | 8 |
| 3. Olive Bowl Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Lindsay
About 4 of every 100 Lindsay residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
5 notable people were born in Lindsay.
City in California, United States
Lindsay is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 12,659 at the 2020 census. Lindsay is located southeast of Visalia and north of Porterville and is considered part of the Visalia-Porterville Metropolitan Area and the Porterville Urban Area by the United States Census Bureau.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lindsay grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #700 of 841 in California. It grades D for health, C− for safety and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($71,300 across the Visalia, 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.
5 notable people were born here, including Jack Rocker and Bill Baird.
