† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupChicoCaliforniaUnited States
German14.7%6.8%12.5%
English13.1%6.3%9.5%
Irish12.1%5.9%9.4%
Italian5.7%3.4%4.8%
American5.3%2.8%5.3%
Scottish2.9%0.9%1.3%
French2.8%1.3%1.6%
Norwegian1.9%——
Mexican17.4%32.3%11.3%
Spanish0.6%0.3%—
Spaniard0.5%0.3%—
Puerto Rican0.3%0.6%1.8%
Nicaraguan0.2%0.3%—
Salvadoran0.2%2.0%0.7%
Hmong2.3%0.3%—
Filipino0.6%3.3%0.9%
Chinese0.5%3.9%1.3%
Vietnamese0.4%1.7%0.6%
Asian Indian0.3%2.3%1.4%
Korean0.2%1.2%0.4%
African American†1.9%4.4%9.9%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Chico
California
United States
Median age
31.1
37.9
39.1
Age 18–24
21.7%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
14.3%
15.6%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Chico
California
United States
Median household income
$66,977
$99,122
$84,427
Poverty rate
22.7%
12.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
42.2%
36.6%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Chico
California
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
17.5%
44.4%
22.3%
Spanish
11.6%
28.4%
13.6%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
1.6%
2.0%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
Chico
California
United States
Catholic
—
26.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
9.0%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
55.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Chico, California
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+11.8%
2008
+23.7%
2012
+17.7%
2016
+21.9%
2020
+27.0%
2024
+23.4%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
59.8%Harris26,280
36.4%Trump15,987
3.9%
D+23.4
R+3.6
D+24.9
43,974
D
62.0%Biden30,364
34.9%Trump17,114
3.1%
D+27.0
D+5.2
D+22.6
49,005
D
56.1%Clinton21,255
34.2%Trump12,970
9.7%
D+21.9
D+4.2
D+19.8
37,892
D
56.7%Obama21,092
39.0%Romney14,510
4.3%
D+17.7
R+6.0
D+13.8
37,184
D
61.7%Obama24,197
38.0%McCain14,905
0.4%
D+23.7
D+11.9
D+16.4
39,243
D
55.0%Kerry21,142
43.2%Bush16,615
1.8%
D+11.8
—
D+14.2
38,458
Home to California State University, Chico, the city sits in a reliably Republican corner of the Sacramento Valley yet sees competitive local races shaped by the roughly 17,000-student campus population and an ongoing influx of Bay Area transplants.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 27.0 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 3.6 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 23.4 points.
A population of 102,188, a 66% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $66,977 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Tempe and Eugene.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Chico, California voted Democratic by 23.4 points (D+23.4), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 43,974 votes cast, 26,280 went Democratic and 15,987 went Republican.
How many people live in Chico, California?
Chico, California has a population of 102,188 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Chico, California?
Median household income in Chico, California is $66,977 — below the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Chico, California?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Chico, California from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
