Ash Mountain Entrance Sign · National Register of Historic Places
Three Rivers’s story
147 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1879Three Rivers is settled
Three RiversCA
A town of 2,282, settled in 1879.
Ash Mountain Entrance Sign · Photo: Brian C. Grogan · Public domain
Population
2,282
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$553K
+3.2% in a year
Household income
$86K
median
Median age
54.3
years
Jobs based here
344
A commuter town
Is Three Rivers a good place to live?
The best of Three Rivers’ subject grades are an A− for health and schools; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Three Rivers’ July high is 98°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. On hazard risk, just 60 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. Homes are expensive, about $552K for a typical one and 7.7 times the Visalia metro’s $71K median household income. Ash Mountain Entrance Sign is on the National Register of Historic Places. Three Rivers has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Three Rivers stand out
Where Three Rivers beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
32 measures vs. California
17 better8 too close to call7 worse
| Widest gap | Three Rivers | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8% | 17.9% |
HealthA−
Healthier than 83% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Three Rivers Union Elementary schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Three Rivers Elementary | K–8 | 93 |
SchoolsA−
On state tests
NCES · EDFacts.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD−
Inland flooding and wildfire at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
A commuter town
91% of working residents leave Three Rivers for work
Where Three Rivers’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
344jobs based in Three Rivers
9%of working residents work in town
27 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Three Rivers grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Three Rivers is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD−Open →Cost of livingDOpen →HealthKaweah Health Medical Center 24.4 miles awayA−Open →SchoolsA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.1 of 20; 1% of households have no car; 3.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →Jobs & income$86K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 54.3; 56% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 22 attractions →Mount Whitney and 9 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Three Rivers. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi MountainMount Whitney
Big draw3 mi National ParkSequoia National Park1.4M visitors a year
13 mi National ParkKings Canyon National Park780K visitors a year
10 mi MountainMoro Rock
35 mi National forestSequoia National Forest
35 mi Park & preserveMount Whitney TrailSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mount Whitney: Geographer (talk · contribs), CC BY 1.0 · Sequoia National Park: Alberto Carrasco Casado, CC BY 2.0 · Kings Canyon National Park: NileGuide.com (Josh Steinitz), CC BY 2.0 · Moro Rock: DiverDave, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sequoia National Forest: US Forest Service, Public domain · Mount Whitney Trail: Sanjoy Ghosh, CC BY 2.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Three Rivers: who provides what
Three Rivers is unincorporated, so Tulare County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSouth Kaweah Mutual Water Company13 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers81% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesTulare CountyTulare County provides services here
SchoolsWoodlake Unified School District (9-12)Three Rivers Union Elementary School District2 districts serve Three Rivers; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTulare County Registrar of VotersTulare County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP codes93271, 9323793271 92% · 93237 8%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Three Rivers.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Three Rivers faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities.
99risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireAvalanches
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsA−
Three Rivers’ schools rank ahead of 82% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Three Rivers Union Elementary school district. Its one school is below.
82%of CA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Rivers ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 93 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests
HealthA−
Residents of Three Rivers are healthier than 82% of U.S. towns
Three Rivers beats the California average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 27% of Three Rivers adults sleep under 7 hours, below both California’s towns (35%) and U.S. towns (36%). 29% of Three Rivers adults feel lonely.
83%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Three Rivers | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 16% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
17 better8 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Three Rivers | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.8% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.4% | 6.4% |
Kaweah Health Medical Center
24.4 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Three Rivers has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Three Rivers for work: only 9% work in town. Three Rivers’ average trip to work is 18 minutes. Since 2013, Three Rivers has added 32 jobs, to 344 in 2023.
9%work in town
| Three Rivers | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 17% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Three Rivers9%
Visalia21%
Fresno7%
Bakersfield4%
Woodlake3%
27 mi
median commute distance
344
jobs based in Three Rivers
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 47% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade D
Three Rivers’ grade for cost of living is a D
The median rent in Three Rivers is $1,557 a month. The typical Three Rivers home is worth about $553,000, up 3.2% in a year, 27% below the California typical home.
$553KZillow home value
| Three Rivers | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,557 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Three Rivers$553K
California$762K
+3.2%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
In Three Rivers, expect mild winters and hot summers
Three Rivers has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 98°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.
98°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter37–60°
Spring47–75°
Summer62–96°
Fall49–80°
Nov 26
typical first frost
Mar 16
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
98°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC+
2.1% of Three Rivers is conserved land
13 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Sequoia National Park, at 38 acres.
2.1%conserved
| Three Rivers | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
2.1%
conserved · 426 of 19,810 acres
13 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sequoia National Park | — | 38 |
| 2. Cobble Knoll Recreation Area | — | 12 |
| 3. Slick Rock Recreation Area | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Three Rivers
17pages on Three Rivers
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Three Rivers; the nearest are
College of the SequoiasCommunity college · Public · Visalia25.5 mi$1,394 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-FresnoUniversity or college · Public · Fresno54.4 mi$7,350 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Three Rivers residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Questions about Three Rivers
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Three Rivers, CA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.