Census ACS · #223 MSA
Chico Metro Area
The Chico, Ca Metropolitan Statistical Area has 209,470 residents. The median household income is $68,574 and the median home value is $408,700.
209,470
Population
128
People / sq mi
$68,574
Median Income
$408,700
Median Home Value
The Chico CBSA covers 1,637 sq mi of land at 128.0 people per square mile.
Race & Ethnicity
| White | 72.6% |
| Black or African American | 1.8% |
| Asian | 0.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4.3% |
Economy & Income
$68,574
Median Household Income
$37,965
Per Capita Income
10.8%
Poverty Rate
4.2%
Unemployment
Cost of Living
The Chico metro's price level is 101.2 on the BEA Regional Price Parity index (US average = 100), meaning prices are 1.2% higher the US average. The local median income of $68,574 has the buying power of $67,763 in average-priced US metros.
101.2
Price Level (US = 100)
$67,763
COL-Adjusted Median Income
$68,574
Nominal Median Income
Housing
$408,700
Median Home Value
$1,369
Median Rent
58.3%
Homeownership
Education
90.3%
High School+
31.7%
Bachelor's+
Commute
0.7%
Drive Alone
11.3%
Work From Home
21.2 min
Avg Commute
16.6%
Foreign Born
Chico spans this state
Nearby metros
Largest cities in California
Largest counties in California
Part of California
Other metros
Metro areas in California
Metro rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
The Chico, Ca Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 209,470 according to Census ACS 5-Year estimates, making it the #223 largest CBSA in the US.
The median household income in the Chico metro area is $68,574, with a per capita income of $37,965.
The Chico, Ca CBSA spans the state of California.
More from California
Data for the Chico, Ca CBSA (17020) from the American Community Survey 5-Year estimates. Core-Based Statistical Areas combine cities, suburbs, and surrounding counties tied together by commuting patterns.
this entity is one of the data points covered by this site’s U.S. population demographics dataset. The detail above comes directly from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files; the context that follows situates the headline numbers against the broader distribution across U.S. states, metros, cities, and ZIPs.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. states, metros, cities, and ZIPs. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.