Butte County, CA

County

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2024 Population

207,929

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

36.2

0.275% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

19.2%

4.93% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$67,928

0.942% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$424,700

3.91% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

93,228

0.767% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Butte County, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

95.8% of the residents in Butte County, CA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Butte County, CA are California State University-Chico (4,036 degrees awarded in 2023), Butte College (2,473 degrees), and Butte County Regional Occupational Program (55 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Butte County, CA was $424,700, and the homeownership rate was 57.3%.

Most people in Butte County, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21 minutes. The average car ownership in Butte County, CA was 2 cars per household.

Butte County, CA borders Colusa County, CA, Glenn County, CA, Plumas County, CA, Sutter County, CA, Tehama County, CA, and Yuba County, CA.

United States California Chico, CA

Population & Diversity

Butte County, CA is home to a population of 208k people, from which 95.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 8.54% of Butte County, CA residents were born outside of the country (17.8k people).

In 2024, there were 8.88 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (135k people) in Butte County, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 15.3k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 12.3k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.8%

2024 Citizenship

96.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.8% of Butte County, CA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Butte County, CA was 96.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Butte County, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Butte County, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
135k ± 1.02k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
15.3k ± 1.39k
Other (Hispanic)
12.3k ± 1.19k

20%

Hispanic Population

41.7k people

20% of the people in Butte County, CA are hispanic (41.7k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Butte County, CA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for California.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,862,617 ± 45,816 people
Philippines
824,246 ± 22,054 people
China
687,951 ± 20,184 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,862,617 California residents, followed by Philippines with 824,246 and China with 687,951.

Foreign-Born Population

8.54%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

17.8k people

8.01%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

16.8k people

As of 2024, 8.54% of Butte County, CA residents (17.8k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Butte County, CA was 8.01%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Butte County, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
4,655 ± 455
Gulf War (2001-)
2,146 ± 374
Gulf War (1990s)
1,451 ± 282

Butte County, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.17 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Butte County, CA.

Economy

The economy of Butte County, CA employs 93.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Butte County, CA were Health Care & Social Assistance (15,379 people), Retail Trade (10,692 people), and Educational Services (10,689 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($96,957), Finance & Insurance ($60,625), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($60,587).

Employment

Occupations

93.2k

2024 Value

± 2,598

−0.767%

1 Year decline

± 3.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Butte County, CA declined at a rate of −0.767%, from 93.9k employees to 93.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Butte County, CA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (10,884 people), Management Occupations (10,131 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (9,097 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Butte County, CA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in California (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

93.2k

2024 Value

± 2,598

−0.767%

1 Year decline

± 3.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Butte County, CA declined at a rate of −0.767%, from 93.9k employees to 93.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Butte County, CA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (15,379 people), Retail Trade (10,692 people), and Educational Services (10,689 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Butte County, CA, though some of these residents may live in Butte County, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,474

Median earning men ± $2,916

$36,269

Median earning women ± $1,155

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($79,337), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($60,399), and Manufacturing ($59,827).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($52,335), Construction ($51,451), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($48,644).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Y-Axis

2.57%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 17.9M people employed in California. This represents a 2.57% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in California.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

371
Construction
283
Health Care and Social Assistance
272
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$982k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$415k
Retail Trade
$298k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing the state of California. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

California is currently represented by 52 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Butte County, CA. Showing the available data for California.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (58.5%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (38.3%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (1.25%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in California for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from California

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Alex Padilla

Senator from California

Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Kamala Harris, who had become Vice President of the United States.

Adam Schiff

Senator from California

Assumed office on December 8, 2024
Elected to the seat to succeed Laphonza Butler, who had been appointed to the seat following the death of Dianne Feinstein.

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing California.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in California over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Butte County, CA awarded 6,576 degrees. The student population of Butte County, CA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 10,814 male students and 14,006 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Butte County, CA are White (3,247 and 50.3%), Hispanic or Latino (2,062 and 31.9%), Asian (367 and 5.68%), and Two or More Races (342 and 5.3%).

The largest universities in Butte County, CA by number of degrees awarded are California State University-Chico (4,036 and 61.4%), Butte College (2,473 and 37.6%), and Butte County Regional Occupational Program (55 and 0.836%).

The most popular majors in Butte County, CA are General Business Administration & Management (727 and 11.1%), General Psychology (444 and 6.75%), and General Social Sciences (373 and 5.67%).

The median tuition cost in Butte County, CA for a public four year colleges is $5,742 for in-state students and $17,622 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Butte County, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 93.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 10.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 24,820 (43.6% men and 56.4% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 24,820 students enrolled in Butte County, CA, 43.6% men and 56.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 11,091 records, of which 55.9% were women and 44.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
180 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
503 degrees awarded
General Psychology
313 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Butte County, CA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 180 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Butte County, CA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

California State University-Chico
4,036 degrees awarded
Butte College
2,473 degrees awarded
Butte County Regional Occupational Program
55 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was California State University-Chico with 4,036 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 2,887 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Butte County, CA, which is 0.783 times less than the 3,689 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 3,247 degrees mean that there were 1.57 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 2,062 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($5,742) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,322) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,970) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Butte County, CA was $424,700 in 2024, which is 1.28 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $408,700 to $424,700, a 3.91% increase. The homeownership rate in Butte County, CA is 57.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Butte County, CA have an average commute time of 21 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Butte County, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 20.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Butte County, CA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.01%.

Housing

Property

$424,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,679

$47,717

Median Property Taxes

±$1,636

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Butte County, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Butte County, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

57.3%

Homeownership

2024

64.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 57.3% of the housing units in Butte County, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 58.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Butte County, CA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$67,928

Median Household Income

± $2,444

83.3k

Number of Households

± 2,322

In 2024, the median household income of the 83.3k households in Butte County, CA declined from $67,928 from the previous year's value of $68,574.

The following chart displays the households in Butte County, CA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Butte County, CA is from California.

0.495

2023 Wage GINI in California

0.498

2022 Wage GINI in California

In 2023, the income inequality in California was 0.495 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.573% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in California in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in California across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (71.9%)
Worked At Home (12.6%)
Carpooled (9.37%)

In 2024, 71.9% of workers in Butte County, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.6%) and those who carpooled to work (9.37%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

21 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Butte County, CA have a shorter commute time (21 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.75% of the workforce in Butte County, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Butte County, CA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Butte County, CA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Butte County, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 20.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Butte County, CA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.01%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

19.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Butte County, CA (39.1k out of 203k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Butte County, CA is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 20.8% of the children was living in poverty in Butte County, CA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 6.3%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 327 in Butte County, CA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 14.8 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

93.6% of the population of Butte County, CA has health coverage, with 38.8% on employee plans, 26.9% on Medicaid, 12.9% on Medicare, 13.8% on non-group plans, and 1.21% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Butte County, CA see 1,707 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,707 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1234 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 113 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,707 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Butte County, CA

Primary care physicians in Butte County, CA see an average of 1,707 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,707 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Butte County, CA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.4% under 18 years, 25.9% between 18 and 34 years, 33.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

6.4%

Uninsured

38.8%

Employer Coverage

26.9%

Medicaid

12.9%

Medicare

13.8%

Non-Group

1.21%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Butte County, CA grew by 0.754% from 6.35% to 6.4%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Butte County, CA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 44.1 in Butte County, CA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Butte County, CA.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 31.5% in Butte County, CA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Butte County, CA.