The Town Files

Butte County, California

207,929 people. The median home is worth $424,700 (typical California town: $596,900) and the median household earns $67,928.

Towns in Butte County

Towns in Butte County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Chico101,475$468,100$66,97731.1
Oroville20,042$311,600$52,27035.8
Oroville East8,038$405,400$94,51242.5
Magalia7,795$280,600$56,92047.8
Gridley7,421$312,800$57,97434.1
Thermalito7,198$254,900$54,86537.0
Durham5,834$700,100$95,41750.8
Palermo5,555$283,000$50,58847.0
Paradise4,764$416,000$67,68757.4
South Oroville3,235$261,500$65,40933.0
Kelly Ridge3,006$277,600$54,63161.7

People and housing

Butte CountyTypical California town
Median home value$424,700$596,900
Median rent$1,414$1,827
Median household income$67,928$91,557
Median age36.240.2
Bachelor's degree or higher31.9%27.7%
Below the poverty line19.2%10.3%

Jobs and pay

78,999 jobs in 2024, average pay $57,521 a year.

Largest industries in Butte CountyHealth care & social assistan…19,255 jobs · $57,496Retail9,123 jobs · $41,784Hotels & restaurants7,266 jobs · $26,647Construction3,918 jobs · $77,408Manufacturing3,734 jobs · $65,524Other services3,571 jobs · $41,113
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Butte County0%4%8%12%16%2000200420082012201620202023 5.2%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 168 storm events in Butte County from 1996 to 2026.

Storm events in Butte County by type since 1996Hail9Flood91Tornado8Wildfire4Lightning4Heavy Rain26Heavy Snow1Debris Flow5Flash Flood9Funnel Cloud1
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Butte County has been included in 39 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
July 25, 2024FireFM-5519: Park Fire
July 2, 2024FireFM-5502: Thompson Fire
April 13, 2024Severe StormDR-4769: Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides
April 3, 2023Severe StormDR-4699: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides
March 10, 2023FloodEM-3592: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides
January 14, 2023FloodDR-4683: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).