Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,266, settled in 1888.
Palermo grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $51K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 89% of the country. Palermo’s July high is 96°F, against 89°F in California’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 75 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
Where Palermo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Palermo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,966 in 1970, 5,555 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2025 and 3 maps from 1912 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Palermo 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Palermo.
Palermo is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has little public open land.
The typical value, about $241K, is 19% below its July 2022 peak. At about $241K, home values are down 11% in five years, against a rise of 13% across California.
The typical Palermo home is worth about $241,000, down 3% in a year, 68% below the California typical home. The median rent in Palermo is $1,135 a month.
| Palermo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,135 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Palermo Union Elementary school district. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palermo MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 458 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Against the 6,003 U.S. towns with household incomes like Palermo’s, it is less healthy than 74%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
32% of Palermo adults say their health is fair or poor. Palermo beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 23. 19% of Palermo adults report frequent physical distress.
| Palermo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Palermo | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 74.6% | 71.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.5% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1995, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Palermo.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Palermo has 355 jobs for its 1,593 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Palermo for work: only 4% work in town. Jobs based in Palermo grew to 355 in 2023, 90 more than in 2013. Palermo’s average trip to work is 29 minutes.
| Palermo | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.2% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 96.1°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.2°.
Palermo has mild winters and hot summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Just 352 of its 18,569 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Palermo itself; its outdoors grade is D.
1.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Palermo Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Palermo; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Palermo residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Census-designated place in California, United States
Palermo is a census-designated place (CDP) in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 5,555 at the 2020 census, up from 5,382 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Palermo.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Oroville (D−) is closest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palermo | #840 | D− | C− | — | C− | D |
| Oroville East | #745 | D− | C− | — | C− | B− |
| South Oroville | #809 | D− | C− | — | C− | C+ |
| Oroville | #835 | D− | C− | D− | C− | C− |
| Bangor | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Palermo, Oroville East and South Oroville report no FBI crime data of their own. Bangor isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Palermo with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Palermo grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D for health and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($67,928 across the Chico, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.