| ZIP Codes: | 24 ZIP Codes (16 Standard, 6 PO Box, 2 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Codes: | 279 / 530 / 916 |
| Timezone: | Pacific (GMT -08:00) |
| Local Time: | 11:52:45 PM |
| Population: | 207,428 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 06007 |
| CBSA: | Chico, CA |
| Land Area: | 2,110 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 40 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 39.6540, -121.6194 |
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207,428 residents live across 24 ZIPs covering 2,110 sq mi, served by 17 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 222,113 to 207,428 from 2014 to 2024 — a -6.6% change. 11 ZIPs gained residents, 7 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 95942 (Forest Ranch, $116,400 median) and poorest ZIP 95968 (Palermo, $42,000) are 41.1 miles apart — a 2.8× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 2.1× across this county — from $292,400 in 95954 (Magalia) to $611,700 in 95938 (Durham).
Density varies 673× across the county — from 8 people/sq mi in 95942 (Forest Ranch) to 5,310 in 95926 (Chico).
Educational attainment ranges from 2.7% bachelor's+ in 95968 (Palermo) to 45.7% in 95926 (Chico) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within California, this is the #28 most populous of 58 counties and ranks #47 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $69,254 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
32.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (43,160 of 134,871 reporting). The most-educated ZIPs cluster around Chico.
16 Standard delivery, 6 PO Box only, 2 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
A frontier county — vast land area with only a few residents per square mile. Daily life looks very different here than in the country's denser counties.
Butte County lost 6.6% of residents between 2014 and 2024. ZIPs that shed the largest share:
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95926 | Chico | Standard | 40,567 | $61,920 | 7.6 | 6.0% |
| 95973 | Chico | Standard | 39,031 | $92,813 | 460.6 | 16.5% |
| 95928 | Chico | Standard | 37,409 | $64,949 | 178.2 | 3.7% |
| 95966 | Oroville | Standard | 28,503 | $65,586 | 217.2 | -7.8% |
| 95965 | Oroville | Standard | 21,181 | $53,198 | 356.2 | 2.8% |
| 95948 | Gridley | Standard | 11,200 | $60,294 | 111.2 | 8.2% |
| 95969 | Paradise | Standard | 8,339 | $69,067 | 51.7 | -69.6% |
| 95954 | Magalia | Standard | 8,165 | $61,280 | 87.2 | -34.9% |
| 95938 | Durham | Standard | 3,943 | $82,974 | 84.4 | 0.2% |
| 95917 | Biggs | Standard | 3,752 | $90,563 | 36.1 | 7.0% |
| 95942 | Forest Ranch | Standard | 2,089 | $116,400 | 264.9 | 90.3% |
| 95968 | Palermo | Standard | 1,364 | $42,000 | 1.7 | -5.1% |
| 95916 | Berry Creek | Standard | 667 | $28,333 | 162.2 | -48.3% |
| 95930 | Clipper Mills | Standard | 463 | $2,499 | 26.5 | 543.1% |
| 95914 | Bangor | Standard | 409 | $102,188 | 16.8 | -26.3% |
| 95978 | Stirling City | PO Box | 142 | — | 19.1 | — |
| 95941 | Forbestown | Standard | 106 | — | 21.9 | -79.0% |
| 95974 | Richvale | PO Box | 98 | — | 6.0 | — |
| 95958 | Nelson | PO Box | 0 | — | 0.0 | — |
| 95929 | Chico | Unique | 0 | — | 0.0 | — |
| 95927 | Chico | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 95940 | Feather Falls | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 95976 | Chico | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 95967 | Paradise | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |