Even in affluent Clovis, plenty of households struggle with rent. See what the data show

Over the past three years, households that rent apartments or other types of housing in the city of Clovis have faced market-rate rents that are significantly higher – between 15% and 20% more – than those in neighboring Fresno.

And while the median household income of renters in Clovis is also higher than in Fresno, a larger percentage of Clovis renters across most income levels confront the phenomenon of being “rent-burdened” under federal housing guidelines because at least 30% or more of their total gross household income goes toward paying for rent and related expenses such as utilities.

A Fresno Bee analysis of housing demographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that of Clovis’ 12,000 renter households, more than half – a little over 53% – fall under the rent-burdened category. Almost one-quarter of all rental households in Clovis are paying at least 50% of their gross income on rent.

The percentage of rent-burdened households is markedly higher among lower-income ranges: 95% of renters where the household income is less than $20,000 per year; 100% of households with annual incomes between $20,000 and $35,000; and more than 92% of households with incomes between $35,000 and $50,000 per year.

In larger, neighboring Fresno, the percentage of rent-burdened households across all income levels was less than 49%; rates were also lower across all but the highest income range of $75,000 or more.

Rents in both cities have seen substantial increases since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Real estate firm Zillow.com, in its Zillow Observed Rent Index, reports that the “typical” asking monthly rent in Clovis across all forms of housing in January 2020 was $1,612. By December 2022, that had climbed to $2,130 per month – an increase of more than 32%.

The December 2022 rent in Clovis was also about 16% higher than what the Zillow index showed for Fresno, where the typical rent asked for by landlords was $1,838 per month.

An uneven distribution

According to Census data for 2021 (the most recent year for which American Community Survey data is available), Clovis has an estimated 12,000 housing units occupied by renters, compared to almost 27,000 owner-occupied homes.

Within the renting population, the largest group falls in the income range of $50,000 to $75,000 per year. Of the estimated 3,542 households in that range, about 41% or almost 1,470 are spending 30% or more of their income toward rent and utilities.

At the highest income range, households with gross yearly earnings of $75,000 or more, none were at the 30% spending level for housing.

Among owner-occupied housing units, the percentage of households spending 30% or more of their gross income on housing costs, including mortgage and utilities, was only 22.2% – less than half of the percentage of renter households.

The rent-burden data underscores the challenges confronted by Clovis and other communities when it comes to housing affordability. While apartments in Fresno County and the central San Joaquin Valley tend to cost much less to rent than most metropolitan areas of California, rent affordability remains a concern for many renters in the region – and not just for low-income families.

About 60% of renters in Fresno County are considered “rent-burdened” under federal guidelines because they pay at least 30% of their gross income on rent and related utilities.

Enough to promote affordability?

In Clovis, city leaders have long faced criticism that they have not done enough to promote development of housing, including apartments, that are more affordable for residents. In recent months, the Clovis City Council took steps toward eventual approval of a new 1,000-acre expansion of the city’s sphere of influence to accommodate construction of single-family homes.

During their November 2022 discussion, several City Council members offered remarks expressing their preferences for single-family homes over apartment projects or affordable housing in the northward expansion. Councilmember Drew Bessinger said neighbors won’t have to “worry about high-density housing being placed in any of this area.”

Councilmember Vong Mouanoutoua said, “this is the correct way to go,” referring to single-family homes. “It is smart planning.”

But the stated preferences of council members toward single-family homes comes as the city continues to deal with a lawsuit filed by Central California Legal Services in 2019 over alleged discrimination against low-income people and people of color. The lawsuit alleged Clovis had not complied with state housing law requiring proper zoning for affordable housing in the city.

In a statement to The Fresno Bee in response to the lawsuit, Bessinger – then Clovis’ mayor – insisted that “the issue of affordable housing is one which is of great importance to all members of our community, including our City Council.”

“We continue to work closely with the California Department of Housing and Community Development,” he added, “and the City is in full compliance with all regulations governing affordable housing.”

A Fresno County judge ruled in 2021 that the Clovis Housing Element was not in substantial compliance with state law and issued an order giving the city 120 days to adopt an element that met the requirements of state law and taking action to zone or rezone enough property to meet the city’s unmet obligations to provide for affordable housing.

The city subsequently appealed the Fresno County court ruling to the state’s 5th District Court of Appeal, where a decision is pending after attorneys for both sides argued the case in court last week.