Madera

Madera County67,831 residentsMadera Unified
46
D
Suburbgrade score

7th of 12 Fresno suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by employment & income.

Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Madera yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 46 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →

What living here is actually like
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What Madera is like to live in, by category

Bars show Madera against Fresno. Weights are published in full.

Housing & affordability

18% of the score · 39/100
D−
Median home value$359,900
Fresno $389,400
Median rent$1,353/mo
Fresno $1,392/mo
Cost-burdened households43%
Fresno 40%

Schools

18% of the score · 38/100
D−
Within-state proficiency21st pct
Fresno median 43rd pct
Student–teacher ratio20.0
Fresno median 22.0
Graduation rate90%
Fresno median 90%
EDFacts SY2021–22 · NCES CCD 2024–25 · EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19Full page →

Cost of living

14% of the score · 74/100
B
Housing cost index93
Fresno 100
Eff. tax rate0.67%
Fresno 0.75%
Local sales tax8.25%
Fresno median 8.97%
Composed in-house · ACS 2020–24 · ACS 2020–24 · CDTFA 2026-09Full page →

Commute & transport

14% of the score · 48/100
D+
Mean commute25.7 min
Fresno 24.0 min
Under 30 minutes57%
Fresno 70%
Transit stops / sq mi0.9
Fresno median 0.5 · within 2 miles

Amenities

12% of the score · 57/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés31
Fresno median 24 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Fresno median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks8
Fresno median 14 · within 2 miles

Employment & income

12% of the score · 25/100
F
Median household income$63,933
Fresno $74,468
Unemployment13%
Fresno 8.9%
Professional occupations22%
Fresno 34%

Residents

12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.

Ask the people who live here

Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.

0 responses·Residents category: waiting for first responses·Live

Nobody has answered for Madera yet. If you live here, you can be the first.

Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →

Better than Madera on employment & income

Madera's weakest grade is F. Two suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.

SuburbEmploymentMedian household incomeUnemploymentOverall
Clovis24 mi from MaderaC−$99k5.6% 64 C+ Fresno21 mi from MaderaF$71k8.9% 56 C−
Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24

Common questions about living in Madera

Is Madera, CA a good place to live?

Madera scores 46 out of 100, 7th of 12 Fresno suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.

Is Madera expensive to live in?

Cost of living grades B. The median home is $359,900, 8% below the Fresno median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.67%. $1,353/mo is the median gross rent.

How good are the schools in Madera?

Schools grade D−. The districts serving Madera sit at the 21st pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 90% graduation rate and a 20.0 student–teacher ratio. Madera is served by Madera Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.

How long is the commute from Madera?

The mean commute is 25.7 min, with 57% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 6.9% working from home. Transit density is 0.9 stops per square mile.

Can you walk anywhere in Madera?

Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 31 restaurants and cafés and 8 parks, which grades C− on amenities.

Are the homes in Madera old or new?

The median home in Madera was built in 1991 — newer than the Fresno median of 1983. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 75% of homes are houses rather than flats.

Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.