Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety11#826/924
Economy26#687/925
Housing2#902/925
Health40#554/925
Healthcare73#246/923
Environment63#342/917
Education70#274/925
Infrastructure80#182/925
Community33#618/925
Leisure & amenities72#264/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Chico, CA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Drought exposure · low0%
99/100California 9%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Mental health providers · high911 /100k
98/100California 487 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Adult obesity · low30.6%
91/100California 30.4%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Gyms and fitness centers · high1.6 /10k
88/100California 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Job growth · high1.8%
88/100California 0.9%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Some college · high71.2%
86/100California 68.0%United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Rent as share of income · high36.7%
2/100California 32.8%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Drug overdose deaths · high49.7 /100k
2/100California 20.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Rent-burdened households · high60.0%
3/100California 55.3%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Unemployment rate · high6.2%
5/100California 5.5%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Home price to income ratio · high6.3×
5/100California 7.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Severe housing problems · high20.5%
7/100California 25.8%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureImproving
100% (2021) → 0% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−100 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Firearm deathsWorsening
8.2 /100k (2021) → 20.8 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+154%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
High ozone daysImproving
14 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
New business applicationsImproving
5.8 /1k (2020) → 9.2 /1k (2025)
+59%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
New homes permittedWorsening
9.9 /1k (2021) → 4.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−59%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Days with unhealthy airImproving
10.7% (2020) → 0.0% (2025)
−11 pts5 years

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Chico, CA metro area improved on 11 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 8. 8 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved11

Gyms+42%1.1 /10k → 1.6 /10k
Bachelor's++4.7 points27.2% → 31.9%
Arts & recreation+27%3.2 /10k → 4.1 /10k
Real income+35%$44,916 → $60,467
New businesses+59%5.8 /1k → 9.2 /1k

Declined8

Firearm deaths+75%11.9 /100k → 20.8 /100k
Overdose deaths+56%31.9 /100k → 49.7 /100k
Price / income+1.1×5.2× → 6.3×
Violent crime+15%493 /100k → 566 /100k
Pharmacies−21%1.8 /10k → 1.4 /10k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Chico, CA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.2 /10k2020	4.1 /10k2025	+27%	Improved	84%
Average commute time	20.9 min2015-2019	21.0 min2020-2024	+0.1 min	Within the margin of error	60%
Average weekly wage	$9442020	$1,1442025	+21%	Improved	31%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.2%2015-2019	31.9%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Improved	88%
Broadband subscriptions	85.4%2015-2019	91.8%2020-2024	+6.4 points	Improved	18%
Child poverty rate	19.6%2015-2019	21.1%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Distance to an airport	67 mi2020	67 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	31.9 /100k2020	49.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+56%	Declined	7%
Effective property tax rate	0.77%2015-2019	0.71%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	27%
Firearm deaths	11.9 /100k2020	20.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+75%	Declined	5%
Grocery stores	2.1 /10k2020	2.2 /10k2025	+2.8%	Little change	61%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.1 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+42%	Improved	86%
High school diploma or higher	89.2%2015-2019	90.6%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Home price to income ratio	5.2×2015-2019	6.3×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	10%
Homicide rate	5.2 /100k2020	4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−7.7%	Improved	29%
Income adjusted for local prices	$44,9162019	$60,4672024	+35%	Improved	69%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4942015-2019	0.4832020-2024	−0.011	Within the margin of error	80%
Median household income	$52,5372015-2019	$67,9282020-2024	+29%	Improved	62%
New business applications	5.8 /1k2020	9.2 /1k2025	+59%	Improved	69%
Pharmacies	1.8 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−21%	Declined	17%
Poverty rate	19.1%2015-2019	19.2%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Property crime rate	1,985 /100k2020	1,650 /100k2025	−17%	Improved	19%
Public libraries	0.3 /10k2019	0.3 /10k2024	+4.9%	Little change	86%
Public transit commuters	1.2%2015-2019	0.6%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Declined	28%
Rent as share of income	34.8%2015-2019	36.7%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Rent-burdened households	59.3%2015-2019	60.0%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Restaurants and bars	7.5 /10k2020	7.5 /10k2025	−0.8%	Little change	42%
Suicide rate	20.5 /100k2020	24.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+18%	Declined	28%
Traffic deaths	15.9 /100k2015-2019	19.5 /100k2020-2024	+23%	Declined	25%
Unemployment rate	9.5%2020	6.2%2025	−3.3 points	Improved	59%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.4%2015-2019	7.8%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Violent crime rate	493 /100k2020	566 /100k2025	+15%	Declined	15%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Chico, CA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Chico, CA metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Chico, CA metro area itself moved −4.4 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

207,929 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

83,312 households (±819)

Chico, CA metro area
United States share

Under $25k19%16,030
$25k–50k19%16,187
$50k–75k15%12,646

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

83,312 households (±819)

Chico, CA metro area
United States share

Own57%47,717
Rent43%35,595

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−1.7 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

90,412 workers (±1,246)

Chico, CA metro area
United States share

Drive alone72%65,040
Carpool9.4%8,474
Public transit0.6%†499

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Chico, CA employ 21,180 people. 6 pay a median above the US median and 4 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Chico, CA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Home Health and Personal Care Aides5,940 jobs	5,940	$34,320US $35,800	−4%	2.74×
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,630 jobs	2,630

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Chico, CA has 4,677 employer establishments, 226 for every 10,000 residents (0.91× the US rate of 248), with 63,158 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,526. The Census Bureau also counts 13,330 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,677; 13,330 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 226; US 248
Paid employees: 63,158
Average annual pay: $51,526; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Chico, CA by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	397	19.2	0.92×About typical	3,877	$75,641	683
Restaurants and other eating places	368	17.8	0.97×About typical	6,710	$23,233	61
Specialty trade contractors	356	17.2	1.11×About typical	2,519	$72,894	730
Lessors of real estate	241	11.6	0.94×About typical	884	$40,628	1,241
Construction of buildings	195	9.4	1.24×About typical	1,306	$64,603	446
Services to buildings and dwellings	169	8.2	1.21×About typical	1,136	$43,632	868
Limited-service restaurants	162	7.8	0.97×About typical	2,995	$21,682	30
Offices of physicians	132	6.4	0.98×About typical	917	$139,012	157
Full-service restaurants	129	6.2	0.81×About typical	2,614	$25,473	18
Building equipment contractors	125	6	1.00×About typical	1,166	$69,671	149
Automotive repair and maintenance	116	5.6	1.11×About typical	759	$57,047	147
Offices of other health practitioners	107	5.2	0.85×About typical	623	$50,876	379

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 207,286 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $117.3M on contracts performed in Chico, CA metro area: $561 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $117.3M; +70% vs FY2025
Per resident: $561; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 18%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Agricultural Marketing Service$53.4M45%
Defense Logistics Agency$26.9M23%
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$18.8M16%
Forest Service$16.4M14%
Office of Procurement Operations$999.2K0.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs$794.2K0.7%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$375K0.3%
Offices, Boards and Divisions$189.9K0.2%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

13.1MFY2017
9.6MFY2018
52MFY2019
26.6MFY2020
41.9MFY2021
35.1MFY2022
38.5MFY2023
87.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$53.4M45%
Bakeries and tortilla manufacturing · 3118$22.1M19%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$19.7M17%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$15M13%
Other food manufacturing · 3119$4.1M3.5%
Scientific research and development services · 5417

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.4B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Chico, CA metro area: $6,579 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $1.4B; −3.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,579; US $12,955
Loan face value: $56.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 2.9%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$802.2M58%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$107.3M7.8%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$99.6M7.2%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$72.4M5.3%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$66.9M4.9%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$59.6M4.3%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$25.6M1.9%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$24.6M1.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CALIFORNIA$45.4M3.3%
SACRAMENTO, CA
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY CHICO$42.4M3.1%
CHICO, CA
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY OF BUTTE$28.1M2.0%
CHICO, CA
BUTTE-GLENN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT$27.4M2.0%
OROVILLE, CA
MOORETOWN RANCHERIA

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$1B75%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$126.8M9.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$70.6M5.1%
Federal Highway Administration$47.5M3.5%
Department of Transportation
Farm Service Agency$36M2.6%

Assistance by fiscal year

1.4BFY2021
1.2BFY2022
1.4BFY2023
1.3BFY2024
1.4BFY2025
1.4BFY2026

County aggregates

85%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Chico, CA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Butte CountyCentral county40209,211

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

ChicoPrincipal city102,188

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in California

Areas based in California, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M17020

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved11

Declined8

Metro and micro areas like Chico, CA metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Chico, CA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in California

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved11

Declined8

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

What was bought