Fresno, CA (population: 490,930) has two film schools within its city limits. Fresno Pacific University, the highest ranked school in the city with a film program, has a total student population of 2,668. It is the 326th highest ranked school in the USA and the 24th highest in the state of California (#1 is University of California-Los Angeles).
Film students from Fresno schools who go on to become filmmakers, producers, directors, film directors, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 79,780 people working as producers and directors alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $86,870. Also, Actors make on average $0 per year and there are about 39,880 of them employed in the US today.
Fresno lies in Fresno county, which is one of the 57 counties in California. Overall, the Fresno area has 323,470 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 1% unemployment rate, $19/hr average worker wage, and a $40,460 average annual salary.
Of the 2 film schools in Fresno, only 1 has a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, Fresno Pacific University comes out as the most expensive ($17,068/yr) for film students, with Fresno City College as the lowest, reported at only $6,031/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Fresno |
| Hanford | CA | 51,853 | 0 | - | 0 | 32.1 miles |
| Visalia | CA | 127,444 | 7 | 18.6498 | 161 | 40.6 miles |
| Merced | CA | 78,579 | 3 | 29.789 | 150 | 52.4 miles |
| Porterville | CA | 53,185 | 1 | 11.8615 | 42 | 65.3 miles |
| Ceres | CA | 43,443 | 0 | - | 0 | 85.9 miles |
| Sonora | CA | - | 1 | 10.5858 | 57 | 89.4 miles |
| Modesto | CA | 203,882 | 4 | 24.9737 | 137 | 89.9 miles |
| Salida | CA | - | 2 | 26.0837 | 19 | 95.8 miles |