FRESNO, CA (KMJ) Recently, Fresno was named the “neediest city in America” according to a study from Wallethub. But the research was flawed. A correction has been issued, but the damage may have already been done.
On Tuesday, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer issued the following response:
FRESNO, CA – On December 18, 2023, Wallethub.com published a story titled “Neediest Cities in America,” where they incorrectly stated the city of Fresno had the highest rate of homelessness of any city in the United States.
In response to inquiries about their methodology for the report, Wallethub said they found the city of Fresno’s homelessness rate by taking 2022 Point-in-Time estimates from the Fresno/Madera Continuum of Care (representing the entirety of both Fresno and Madera counties) and dividing them by the population of Madera County.
Given the substantial difference between the population of Madera County and the city or county of Fresno, this led to a high rate that was then attributed solely to the city of Fresno, a mistake Wallethub corrected in their story on January 5, 2024, more than a week after other media outlets began sharing the report.
“It’s unfortunate that Wallethub decided to publish this report without first checking their data, and it’s incredibly disappointing that this factually incorrect headline was shared. These kinds of actions do irreparable damage to the perception of our city, where we are working hard on economic development and have clearly prioritized our efforts surrounding homelessness and housing,” said Mayor Jerry Dyer.
“Let me be clear, while significant work remains, I’m proud of what our community has accomplished so far, and I’ll point to validated data from our federal partners to report that the city of Fresno is one of the only jurisdictions to see a 5.6% decrease in homelessness when the state and the rest of the country are reporting increases,” Mayor Dyer said.
