483,546 people (2024 Census estimate, +2.0% since 2020)
4,824 square miles of land · 100 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
91 active community water systems list Tulare County in the area they serve, reporting 427,460 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CWS - VISALIA groundwater · private · CA5410016 | 153,522 served |
| TULARE, CITY OF groundwater · local government · CA5410015 | 72,241 served |
| PORTERVILLE, CITY OF groundwater · local government · CA5410010 | 63,487 served |
| DINUBA, CITY OF groundwater · local government · CA5410002 | 27,641 served |
| LINDSAY, CITY OF surface water · local government · CA5410006 | 12,659 served |
| EXETER, CITY OF groundwater · local government · CA5410003 | 11,169 served |
| FARMERSVILLE, CITY OF groundwater · local government · CA5410004 | 10,243 served |
| OROSI PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT groundwater · local government · CA5410008 | 8,300 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 1,189 people were held in Tulare County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 1,197.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
45 school districts have their office in Tulare County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $565.8 million — $490.2 million to run schools, about $16,966 per student, plus $61.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $100.8 million local (mostly property tax), $453.1 million state, $95.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $114.2 million.
Spent $328 million — $269.8 million to run schools, about $18,988 per student, plus $40.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $40.3 million local (mostly property tax), $273.8 million state, $64.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $51.3 million.
Spent $150.5 million — $142.8 million to run schools, about $15,574 per student, plus $4.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $22.8 million local (mostly property tax), $157.5 million state, $29.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $6.2 million.
Spent $176.8 million — $104.2 million to run schools, about $16,098 per student, plus $68.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $17.8 million local (mostly property tax), $191.3 million state, $19.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $39.5 million.
Spent $111.4 million — $104 million to run schools, about $18,096 per student, plus $2.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $32 million local (mostly property tax), $105.3 million state, $12.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $42.8 million.
Spent $76.9 million — $74.4 million to run schools, about $14,643 per student, plus $1.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $36.5 million local (mostly property tax), $46 million state, $7.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $18 million.
Spent $89.1 million — $84.4 million to run schools, about $17,637 per student, plus $3.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $7.9 million local (mostly property tax), $84.6 million state, $12 million federal. Long-term debt: $9.9 million.
Spent $98 million — $84.8 million to run schools, about $21,319 per student, plus $6.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $12.2 million local (mostly property tax), $80.9 million state, $19.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $25.7 million.
And 37 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Tulare County about $214.1 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
607 bridges in Tulare County: 259 in good condition, 330 fair, and 18 poor (3.0%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| STATE ROUTE 99 NB over SJVR · built 1957 | 24,500 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 99 NB over N BRANCH TULE RIVER · built 1949 | 21,500 vehicles a day |
| AVE 184 (OCTOL AV) over STATE ROUTE 99 · built 1962 | 12,000 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 190 over TULE RIVER · built 1958 | 6,000 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 190 over NORTH FORK TULE RIVER · built 1967 | 2,450 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 198 over KAWEAH RIVER · built 1922 | 1,650 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $267.6 million of work in Tulare County in fiscal 2025, about $566 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Ballots mailed; drop boxes open: 2026-10-05. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-19. Early in-person voting: 2026-10-24 to 2026-11-03. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-10.
Source: California Secretary of State — Nov. 3, 2026 key dates · California Official Voter Information Guide — dates to remember · California Secretary of State — make a plan to vote
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Tulare County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Tulare County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of California: the state government and every county in California.
Nearby counties: Kings County (59 mi) · Kern County (61 mi) · Fresno County (61 mi) · Inyo County (80 mi) · Madera County (87 mi) · San Luis Obispo County (109 mi).