Regional Overview
Tulare County, with a population of approximately 426,000 is located in the heart of Central California at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range known as Sequoia ValleyLos Angeles is 200 miles to the south and the Bay Area is 225 miles to the north. Located in the great central California region comprised of sixty-two cities and more than 3.4 million residents, the region has a rapidly growing population that is young and culturally diverse with distinct Hispanic, Anglo and Asian communities.

Strategically located, Tulare County offers excellent transportation access to all of California and the west coast.  This along with seismic stability makes Tulare County a desirable distribution point for many major corporations. Tulare County is unique in that it is situated in the richest agricultural region in the United States and is recognized as the number one county in the nation for total milk production. 

Tulare County agribusiness is dynamic and reflects the changing demands of consumer and export markets.  The county’s agribusiness alone produces over $4 billion dollars in value for all commodities, an increase of 32 percent since 2000.

Tulare County, CA

Population and Household Data (2008)
Square Miles4,824
Pop. density per sq. mile88
Population 1990311,107
Population 2000368,021
Population 2008425,707
Population 2013469,543
%Pop. growth 2000-200815.7
%Pop. growth 2008-20139.1
Households 199097,444
Households 2000110,385
Households 2008129,462
Households 2013144,380
%Household growth 2000-200817.3
%Household growth 2008-201311.52
Average household size3.2
Families101,730
%Urban population80.9
%Rural population19.1
%Female population49.6
%Male population50.4
%White population51.8
%Black population1.6
%Asian population3.8
%Hispanic origin population58.2
Other Population42.8
%Pop. 0-5 years10.6
%Pop. 6-11 years11.4
%Pop. 12-17 years11.6
%Pop. 18-24 years11.8
%Pop. 25-34 years13.1
%Pop. 35-44 years12.2
%Pop. 45-54 years11.8
%Pop. 55-64 years8.3
%Pop. 65-74 years4.6
%Pop. 75-84 years3.3
%Pop. 85 years and over1.3
Median Age28.5

Citizenship and Language (2008)
% Speaks only English (Age 5+)56.2
% Speaks Spanish40.6
% Speaks Asian or Pac. Island langauge2.9
% Speaks other language0.2
Citizenship - % Native75.4
Citizenship - % Foreign born (naturalized)6.5
Citizenship - % Foreign born (noncitizen)18.1

Transportation to Work (2008)
% Car, truck or van to work91.3
% Public transport to work0.8
% Other transport to work3.9
% Work at home4.0
% Travel time less than 15 minutes36.1
% Travel time 15-29 minutes32.4
% Travel time 30-59 minutes20.9
%Travel time 60+ minutes6.6

Housing (2008)
Median age householder46.9
Median household size3.3
Housing units139,682
% Occupied housing units

92.7

% Vacant housing units7.3
% Vacant housing units for rent2.0
% Vacant housing units for sale1.2
% Occupied structure trailer8.2
% Occupied stucture other0.1
Median gross rent ($US)729
Median value owner households ($US)152,855

Income and Education (2008)
Total household income ($US)7,103,641,691
Median household income ($US)40,159
Per capita income ($US)16,687
High income average ($US)366,855
Education - % less than high school (Age 25+)34.7
Education - % high school (Age 25+)22.8
Education - % some college (Age 25+)22.9
Education - % Bachelor's degree (Age 25+)8.7
Education - % graduate degree (Age 25+)4.1

Employment and Occupation (2008)
Males employed (Age 16+)91,52390,076
Females employed (Age 16+)70,620
Total Employees (Age 16+)162,143
% white collar occupations50.0
% blue collar occupations22.6
% Service occupations17.0
Occupations - % Mgmt., bus. and financial10.6
Occupations - % Sales and office23.0
Occupations - % Farming, forestry, fishing10.4
% Private for profit wage and salary workers70.5
% Private not-for-profit wage and salary workers4.7
% Local govt. workers10.4
% State govt. workers5.2
% Federal govt. workers1.3
% Self-employed workers7.4

Quality of Life (2008)
Total crime index (US avg. = 100)80
Earthquake movements0.4
Annual max avg. temperature74
Annual min. avg. temperature38
Annual avg. temperature56
Mean number of days clear201
Mean number of days precipitation29
Mean number of days snow2
Average annual snowfall (inches)8
EASI® Quality of life index153

Consumer Expenditures (2008)
Annual expenditures per capita ($US)14,946.5
Food expenditures per capita ($US)1,910.4
Food away from home expenditures per capita ($US)833.2
Housing expenditures per capita ($US)5,029.3
Furniture expenditures per capita ($US)140.3
Apparel and services expenditures per capita ($US)567.2
Transportation expenditures per capita ($US)2,668.5
Health care expenditures per capita ($US)889.8
Health insurance expenditures per capita ($US)466.8
Entertainment expenditures per capita ($US)737.3
Education expenditures per capita ($US)290.2

Cost of Living (2008)
Consumer price index (CPI)188.7
Food and beverage (CPI)187
Housing (CPI)188.2
Apparel and upkeep (CPI)121.7
Transportation (CPI)163.7
Medical care (CPI)313
Recreation (CPI)107.6
Other goods and services (CPI)307.6

Source: Development Alliance, as well as from the U.S. Census Bureau, US. Bureau of Economic Analysis and te U.S. Department of Labor.