Cities › CA
Fresno
Mayor Jerry Dyer · Republican · in office since Jan. 4, 2021
The Executive Summary
Mayor Jerry Dyer (R) has led Fresno since Jan. 2021; on economic outcomes — the only thing this site scores for mayors — Fresno ranks No. 20 of 21 big cities. On Dyer's watch, poverty rate fell 20.6% → 18.7% across 2022–2024; unemployment rose 5% → 6.7% across 2022–2025. Crime, housing and schools are not in this score, and outcomes are shared with the council and the economy — association, not causation.
| Unemployment 6.7% (2025) | −1.53σ · +10.07%/yr vs peers +5.05%/yr · 2022–2025 (4 pts) |
| Median household income $74,491 (2024 · constant 2024 $) | +0.25σ · +4.05%/yr vs peers +1.65%/yr · 2022–2024 (3 pts) |
| Poverty rate 18.7% (2024) | −0.27σ · -4.72%/yr vs peers -2.06%/yr · 2022–2024 (3 pts) |
| Government form | Strong mayor |
Fresno is a strong-mayor city, so day-to-day administration answers to Jerry Dyer. The score is Fresno's economic trend during their tenure, measured against the other 49 largest cities over the same years.
Sources: unemployment — BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · median household income — Census ACS 1-year, CPI-U deflated · poverty rate — Census ACS 1-year (B17001). Unemployment runs through 2025; income and poverty through 2024. The 2025 unemployment point is an eleven-month average — October 2025 was never collected during the federal shutdown — and it is included and flagged here under the same rule the state pages apply to the same statistic (one statistic, one rulebook, as of v2.6; through v2.5 city pages excluded it instead, and the changelog says so).
Scored on economic outcomes only — unemployment, real median income and poverty. Crime, housing and health are not yet included, so this is a narrower measure than a governor’s. Two denominators. The rank is out of 21 — the mayors with enough scored years to rank. 21 of 50 cities are scored, 0 of those are early reads left unranked, and 29 mayors are not yet scorable. Each σ is measured against all 49 other cities. Government form follows standard reference classifications and was not verified city by city. Methodology
The Rundown
No. 20 of 21 big-city mayors — on economics, and only economics.
Median household income. Worse than the typical big city. $68,810 → $74,491 across 2022–2024.
Poverty rate. Worse than the typical big city. 20.6% → 18.7% across 2022–2024.
Unemployment. One of the worst of the 50 largest cities. 5% → 6.7% across 2022–2025.
How this is scored: 60% is where Fresno stands against the other 49 largest cities, 40% is which way it moved on Mayor Dyer's watch — the same rule governors get. It covers 3 economic outcomes only: crime, housing and schools are not in this grade, so it is narrower than a governor's. Fresno is a strong-mayor city, so day-to-day administration answers to the mayor.
Fresno sits in CA, whose governor Gavin Newsom holds a scored statewide record (No. 20 of 29). State outcomes are not the mayor’s grade — a city is not a state — but they’re the nearest verified context today.