Chico, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

102,188

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

31.1

0.323% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

22.7%

2.76% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$66,977

1.4% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$468,100

Population & Diversity

Chico, CA is home to a population of 102k people, from which 95.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 8.54% of Chico, CA residents were born outside of the country (8.72k people).

In 2024, there were 8.64 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (66.1k people) in Chico, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 7.65k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 6.7k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.7%

2024 Citizenship

96.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.7% of Chico, CA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chico, CA was 96.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chico, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
66.1k ± 1.38k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
7.65k ± 1.16k
Other (Hispanic)
6.7k ± 957

20.5%

Hispanic Population

21k people

20.5% of the people in Chico, CA are hispanic (21k people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,877,888 ± 45,899 people
Philippines
827,719 ± 22,100 people
China
695,724 ± 20,296 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,877,888 California residents, followed by Philippines with 827,719 and China with 695,724.

Foreign-Born Population

8.54%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

8.72k people

8.05%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

8.21k people

As of 2024, 8.54% of Chico, CA residents (8.72k 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 Chico, CA was 8.05%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,231 ± 244
Gulf War (2001-)
870 ± 213
Gulf War (1990s)
601 ± 180

Chico, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.41 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Chico, CA employs 52.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chico, CA were Health Care & Social Assistance (8,959 people), Educational Services (6,789 people), and Retail Trade (6,224 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($97,391), Finance & Insurance ($68,795), and Public Administration ($59,616).

Employment

Occupations

52.8k

2024 Value

± 1,954

0.52%

1 Year growth

± 5.15%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chico, CA grew at a rate of 0.52%, from 52.5k employees to 52.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chico, CA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,994 people), Sales & Related Occupations (5,371 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (5,315 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chico, 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

52.8k

2024 Value

± 1,954

0.52%

1 Year growth

± 5.15%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chico, CA grew at a rate of 0.52%, from 52.5k employees to 52.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chico, CA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (8,959 people), Educational Services (6,789 people), and Retail Trade (6,224 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chico, CA, though some of these residents may live in Chico, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$42,172

Median earning men ± $2,043

$35,214

Median earning women ± $1,711

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($92,976), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($59,628), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($57,721).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($80,326), Wholesale Trade ($51,875), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($47,690).

Education

The student population of Chico, CA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 6,547 male students and 8,806 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Chico, CA are White (1,797 and 47.2%), Hispanic or Latino (1,346 and 35.3%), Asian (238 and 6.25%), and Two or More Races (183 and 4.8%).

The largest universities in Chico, CA by number of degrees awarded are California State University-Chico (3,823 and 98.2%), Butte County Regional Occupational Program (59 and 1.52%), and Cal Northern School of Law (12 and 0.308%).

The most popular majors in Chico, CA are General Business Administration & Management (576 and 14.8%), General Psychology (290 and 7.45%), and Liberal Arts & Sciences (198 and 5.08%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $6,084 for in-state students and $18,684 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Chico, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 92.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 10.2%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 15,353 (42.6% men and 57.4% 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 2024 there were 15,353 students enrolled in Chico, CA, 42.6% men and 57.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 6,329 records, of which 55.8% were women and 44.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
468 degrees awarded
General Psychology
265 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
198 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Chico, CA was General Business Administration & Management with 468 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

California State University-Chico
3,823 degrees awarded
Butte County Regional Occupational Program
59 degrees awarded
Cal Northern School of Law
12 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was California State University-Chico with 3,823 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,566 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Chico, CA, which is 0.673 times less than the 2,328 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,797 degrees mean that there were 1.34 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 1,346 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 ($6,084) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,388) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,052) 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 Chico, CA was $468,100 in 2024, which is 1.41 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $455,300 to $468,100, a 2.81% increase. The homeownership rate in Chico, CA is 43.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chico, CA have an average commute time of 17.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chico, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$468,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,056

$18,639

Median Property Taxes

±$1,074

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 Chico, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

43.4%

Homeownership

2024

65.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 43.4% of the housing units in Chico, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 44.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Chico, 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.

$66,977

Median Household Income

± $3,319

42.9k

Number of Households

± 1,739

In 2024, the median household income of the 42.9k households in Chico, CA declined from $66,977 from the previous year's value of $67,929.

The following chart displays the households in Chico, 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 Chico, CA is from California.

0.493

2024 Wage GINI in California

0.495

2023 Wage GINI in California

In 2024, the income inequality in California was 0.493 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.424% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (68.6%)
Worked At Home (13.5%)
Carpooled (9.85%)

In 2024, 68.6% of workers in Chico, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.5%) and those who carpooled to work (9.85%).

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

17.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chico, CA have a shorter commute time (17.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.7% of the workforce in Chico, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

22.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chico, CA (22.5k out of 99k 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 Chico, 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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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