Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Tulare earns a D−, ranked 819th of 841 in California, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 84% of U.S. towns, with 349 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 77% of the country. In its favor, it has 10 miles of trail. Tulare’s July high is 97°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Tulare's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns. The typical home is worth about $356K, 5 years of the Visalia metro’s $71K median household income.
Where Tulare beats most towns.
59,278 counted in 2010 and 68,875 in 2020; an estimated 73,907 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 7.2% since 2020, after 16.2% 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 Tulare is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 447 in 1880, 68,875 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 4 maps from 1925 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tulare, 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 Tulare.
Tulare has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more and has property taxes about half the California norm.
The median property tax bill is $2,366, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Tulare’s median rent is $1,435 a month. The typical Tulare home is worth about $356,000, up 2.1% in a year, 53% below the California typical home. 59% of households own their home in Tulare.
| Tulare | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,435 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 56% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Tulare City school district. Two of its 26 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 861 | – |
| Tulare Western HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,927 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 1,863 to 1,424 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Tulare is 4.8 per 1,000 residents. Tulare reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less.
| Tulare | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.6 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 81% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
67% of Tulare adults had a checkup this year. Tulare beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 28% of Tulare adults worry about having enough food.
| Tulare | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 72% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 16% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Tulare | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 6.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 18.1% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About one in 4 of Tulare’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Tulare has added 1,543 jobs, to 16,642 in 2023. The top destinations are Visalia (23%), Fresno (4%) and Porterville (2%).
| Tulare | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 5.4% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Visalia weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 328 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 97.4°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.5°.
Tulare has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
11 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Tulare County Fairgrounds, at 52 acres.
| Tulare | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Live Oak Park | 1.1 mi | 20 |
| 2. Del Lago Park | 1.1 mi | 13 |
| 3. Blain Park | 0.6 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Tulare
About 5 of every 100 Tulare residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
21 notable people were born in Tulare.
City in California, United States
Tulare ( tuu-LAIR-ee) is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 68,875 per the 2020 census. It is located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, 8 mi (13 km) south of Visalia and 60 mi (97 km) north of Bakersfield. The city is named after the Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great Lakes.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Tulare.
Matheny isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Tulare with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tulare grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #819 of 841 in California. It grades C− for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
21 notable people were born here, including Bob Mathias and Devin Nunes.
