Butte ValleyCA
A town of 1,087, settled in 1861. A regional job hub with 937 jobs.
Is Butte Valley a good place to live?
Butte Valley’s weakest subject grade is a D− for walkability. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Butte Valley, above both the California town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On walkability, just 7 of California’s 1,063 towns do worse. The typical home is worth about $462K, 6.8 years of the Chico metro’s $68K median household income. On the outdoors, just 16 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. Butte Valley’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile, against 1.0 in California’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Butte Valley is home to Butte College. Butte Valley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Butte Valley stand out
Where Butte Valley beats most towns.
Butte College calls Butte Valley home
How Butte Valley grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Butte Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Butte Valley: who provides what
Butte Valley is unincorporated, so Butte County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Butte Valley.
A job hub: Butte Valley has 2.3 jobs for every working resident and draws in 918 commuters
Most working residents leave Butte Valley for work: only 5% work in town. Butte Valley’s average trip to work is 29 minutes. The top destinations are Chico (32%), Paradise (11%) and Oroville (6%).
| Butte Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Older than California overall
People 65 and older are 30% of residents (16% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 11% of residents (24% statewide). 46% of Butte Valley adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 46% and 69% women
The Census survey reached too few of Butte Valley’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±11.4 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Butte Valley | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.6% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.9% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.5% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.4% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.3% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 22.3% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.7% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.4% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 2.8% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.8% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.8% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Butte Valley faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by wildfire
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 72% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Four seasons and hot summers in Butte Valley
Butte Valley has mild winters and hot summers. The July high in Butte Valley is 96°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Butte Valley stands out in California and nationally, with more of its adults who have been diagnosed with depression
27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Butte Valley. Butte Valley beats the California average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 38% of adults have high blood pressure in Butte Valley.
| Butte Valley | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Butte Valley | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults lacking emotional support | 22.9% | 28.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, more of Butte Valley’s households own their home
Only 2 of the 848 California towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Butte Valley.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Oroville Dam and 4 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Butte Valley. Close and well known come first.
12 mi DamOroville Dam
32 mi MountainSutter Buttes
10 mi Park & preserveBidwell Park
15 mi MuseumChico Air Museum
12 mi MuseumMuseum of Northern California ArtPhoto credits
Oroville Dam: California Department of Water Resources, Public domain · Sutter Buttes: Expedition 32 crew/NASA, Public domain · Bidwell Park: Saopaulo1 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chico Air Museum: Bsudicky, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Museum of Northern California Art: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
Everything we know about Butte Valley
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Butte Valley
About 2 of every 100 Butte Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
1,087 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Questions about Butte Valley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Butte Valley, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $462,000, 39% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.