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Chico vs Durham

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (22.7× in Chico) and size (19.1× in Chico).

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Chico, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 102,188 people
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Durham, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 5,340 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $740 more a month in Durham

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Chico$2,720/mo
Typical home $461K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $1,488/mo · Housing →
Durham$3,460/mo
Typical home $601K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.61% · or rent about $1,105/mo · Housing →

The difference: $740 a month, about $8,900 a year, between Durham and Chico.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Chico and Durham share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

ChicoDurhamChicoDurham
Chico ↔ Durham8.8 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
832 Durham residents work in Chico (39% of its workers)
716 Chico residents work in Durham (2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Durham →
Report cards

Chico places higher on 10 of 20 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
ChicoDurham
Snow a year0″0″
January low38°F38°F
July high94°F94°F
Growing season (days)279d279d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th77th
Outdoors & history
ChicoDurham
Conserved land25.8%2.3%
Settled1860—
National Register places92
Archive photos127
Famous people born here552
Community
ChicoDurham
Library hours a week36 hrs21 hrs
Colleges in town2—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

ChicoDurham
People
Population 102,188Highest 5,340Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +17.7%Highest CA: +6.1% +5.7%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 31.1±0.6Lowest 18% below CA 50.8±6Highest 34% above CA
Kids under 18 18.4%±0.9Highest CA: 22% 18.1%±3.9Lowest CA: 22%
Chico and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.2%±0.7Lowest CA: 15.7% 27.4%±3.9Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 42.2%Highest CA: 37.1% 40.4%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 17.7%±1Highest CA: 7.6% 8.2%±6.2Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $66,977±$3kLowest 32% below CA $95,417±$29kHighest 4% below CA
Durham and Chico are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $468,100±$8kLowest 36% below CA $700,100±$127kHighest 5% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,488±$35Highest 27% below CA $1,105±$82Lowest 46% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,656Lowest 29% below CA $4,304Highest 16% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.2%±3.2Highest CA: 55.3% 43.1%±29.7Lowest CA: 55.3%
Chico and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 22.7%Highest CA: 12% 10.2%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 43.4%Lowest CA: 55.9% 70.9%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 7 yrs newer than CA 1976Lowest same as CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 38% below CA 18 minHighest 37% below CA
Work from home 13.5%±1.2Lowest CA: 17.2% 16.8%±9Highest CA: 17.2%
Durham and Chico are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 53.5%Highest 12.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.3 miLowest 9.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12Highest 1.00Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Oroville (5%)Chico (39%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Durham39% work in Chico
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 25.8%Highest 2.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 93.3 miHighest 24.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.7 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 22Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 79.5Highest 3.5Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #236 of 574 in CA#151 of 574 in CA
School district Butte County ROP · Inspire School of Arts and Sciences DistrictDurham Unified
High school in town Pleasant Valley HighDurham High
Students per teacherat that high school 22.4Highest 16.4Lowest
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Chico neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Discovering Hidden Chico Gems

1 neighbor in Chico can answer.

Durham neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Durham’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Chico

Towns like Chico

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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