Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For a city of 105,081, Chico does unevenly: it grades C−, 478th among California's 841 graded towns. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 87% of U.S. towns. The trade-offs: the typical home is worth about $458K, 6.7 years of the Chico metro’s $68K median household income, and its police reported 677 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 87% of U.S. towns. 53% of working residents work locally in Chico, above both California’s towns (6.6%) and U.S. towns (8%). Upper Bidwell Park, at 3,289 acres with 52.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Only 55 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Chico beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,300 in 1880, 101,475 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 5 maps from 1912 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Chico is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chico, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Chico.
Chico has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the California rate.
92 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. The trail density in Chico is 2.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Upper Bidwell Park | 52.5 mi | 3,289 |
| 2. Lower Bidwell Park | 6.7 mi | 306 |
| 3. Hooker Oak | 1.2 mi | 30 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Chico Unified school district. Three of its 36 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bidwell Junior HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,012 | C− |
| Pleasant Valley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,978 | A |
| Chico HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,804 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Chico’s violent crime rate is 6.6 per 1,000 residents. Chico reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 87% report less. Chico’s property crime rate is 18.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Chico | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
43% of Chico households own their home. The typical Chico home is worth about $458,000, up 0.5% in a year, 40% below the California typical home. 62% of Chico renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Chico | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 62% | 55% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,488 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
22.7% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12% across California, which weighs on its C+ for jobs and income.
42% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Chico.
| Chico | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31.1 years | 39.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 18% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 16% | 18% |
50.8% women, 49.2% men
About 97 men for every 100 women. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 32.8, men 29.6.
| Chico | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.1% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.3% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 21.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.1% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.5% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.8% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.5% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.5% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.9% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.9% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.3% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 10,193 U.S. towns with household incomes like Chico’s, it is healthier than 88%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Chico beats the California average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
| Chico | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| What stands out | Chico | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8.9% | 11.7% |
| More adults with depression | 26.6% | 20.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Orland weather station, 20 miles away, records that about 92 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 96.1°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.3°.
Chico has mild winters and hot summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Chico | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 96°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 38°F | 41°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 36,696 working residents takes 17.8 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Since 2013, Chico has added 3,528 jobs, to 40,968 in 2023. The top destinations are Oroville (5%), Sacramento (2%) and Durham (2%). Half commute less than 4 miles.
| Chico | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chico.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chico. Close and well known come first.
in town Park & preserveBidwell Park
23 mi DamOroville Dam
37 mi MountainSutter Buttes
in town MuseumChico Air Museum
in town MuseumMuseum of Northern California ArtBidwell Park: Saopaulo1 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oroville Dam: California Department of Water Resources, Public domain · Sutter Buttes: Expedition 32 crew/NASA, Public domain · Chico Air Museum: Bsudicky, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Museum of Northern California Art: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Chico
College town 18 of every 100 Chico residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
86,187 counted in 2010 and 101,475 in 2020; an estimated 105,081 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 17.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
9 places in Chico on the National Register of Historic Places.
47 notable people were born in Chico.
City in California, United States
Chico ( CHEE-koh; Spanish for "boy" or "small/little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 census, an increase from 86,187 in the 2010 census. Chico is the cultural and economic center of the northern Sacramento Valley, as well as the most populous city in California north of the capital city of Sacramento. The city is known as a college town, as the home of California State University, Chico, and for Bidwell Park, one of the largest urban parks in the world.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Chico.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chico | #478 | C− | D− | D | B+ | B+ |
| Durham | #252 | C+ | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Butte Creek Canyon | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Durham reports no FBI crime data of its own. Butte Creek Canyon isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Chico with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Chico grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #478 of 841 in California. It grades B+ for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
47 notable people were born here, including Aaron Rodgers and Donovan Scott.
