Is South Oroville a good place to live?
A town with more to fix than most. Overall, South Oroville earns a D−, which places it 809th of 841 in California. That leaves it behind almost every U.S. town. Where it falls short is incomes — the median household income is $65K, and just over a third of residents live below the poverty line. Homes run about $262K for a typical one, 3.8 times the Chico metro’s $68K median household income. On the outdoors, just 72 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns. The town’s typical July afternoon high is 96°F, against 89°F in California’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · USGS PAD-US · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
How South Oroville grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far South Oroville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
South Oroville has shrunk 44% from 2010 to 2020
5,742 counted in 2010 and 3,235 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
The data
Ordered by what stands out in South Oroville.
South Oroville has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has poverty well above the California rate and has many renters stretched by housing costs.
South Oroville’s public schools trail 81% of California districts
Public schools: the Oroville Union High school district. The largest public high school is Las Plumas High, with 1,265 students. Of its 5 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helen M. Wilcox ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 592 | – |
| Las Plumas HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,265 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
A larger share of residents in South Oroville live below the poverty line than in the typical California or U.S. town
Half of commuters travel less than 13 miles. South Oroville’s mean commuting time comes in at 23 minutes. For most workers, South Oroville is a place to come home to: only 3% work in town. The top destinations are Oroville (30%), Chico (10%) and Oroville East (7%).
| South Oroville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 34% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards: high risk in South Oroville, mostly inland flooding
South Oroville’s FEMA risk score stands at 68 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 51% come from inland flooding and 24% from earthquakes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The climate in South Oroville brings four seasons and hot summers
July afternoons average 96.3°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.2°.
In South Oroville, the January low is 39°F.
| South Oroville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 96°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 39°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health in South Oroville trails 64% of U.S. towns
Two figures for adults locally: 71% had a checkup this year, 17% smoke cigarettes. In South Oroville, 25% of adults say their health is fair or poor.
| South Oroville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | South Oroville | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.9% | 10.6% |
| More smokers | 16.5% | 10.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.4% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median home in South Oroville sells for about $290K
71.4% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 55.3% across California. The median property tax bill is $1,726, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The share of households in South Oroville who own their home: 55%. South Oroville’s midpoint rent is $1,412 a month.
| South Oroville | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,412 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about South Oroville
Moving to South Oroville: who provides what
South Oroville 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.
97% of working residents leave South Oroville for work
Where South Oroville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of South Oroville
About 4 of every 100 South Oroville residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About South Oroville
Census-designated place in California, United States
South Oroville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 3,235 at the 2020 census, down from 5,742 at the 2010 census. For all practical purposes, South Oroville is tied to Oroville proper. South Oroville contains a negligible number of businesses, and all residents are dependent on the commercial centers of Oroville, and sometimes Chico if they choose. In fact, there is no clear divide between South Oroville and the Oroville city limits. This also applies to Thermalito, Oroville East, and Palermo. Las Plumas High School is located in South Oroville, and most high school students go to school there.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 187 ft
South Oroville’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with South Oroville.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Oroville | #809 | D− | C− | — | C− | C+ |
| Oroville | #835 | D− | C− | D− | C− | C− |
| Palermo | #840 | D− | C− | — | C− | D |
| Oroville East | #745 | D− | C− | — | C− | B− |
South Oroville, Palermo and Oroville East report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare South Oroville with a neighbor →
Questions about South Oroville
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Oroville, CA a good place to live?
South Oroville grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #809 of 841 in California. It grades C+ for health and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Is South Oroville, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $262,000, 66% 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 C−.
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