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Compare towns

Chico vs Redlands

470 miles apart. The biggest differences: household income (+57% in Redlands) and work in town (+34.6 pts in Chico).

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Chico, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 102,188 people
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Redlands, CAHometown of 65 notable peopleCalifornia · 73,375 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 $1,010 more a month in Redlands

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 →
Redlands$3,720/mo
Typical home $636K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.73% · or rent about $2,005/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,010 a month, about $12,100 a year, between Redlands 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.

Report cards

Chico places higher on 11 of 22 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
ChicoRedlands
Snow a year0″0″
January low38°F41°F
July high94°F95°F
Growing season (days)279d329d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th94th
Outdoors & history
ChicoRedlands
Conserved land25.8%15.5%
Settled18601888
National Register places912
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here5565
Community
ChicoRedlands
Library hours a week36 hrs53 hrs
Colleges in town21
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.

Where they are

470 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Chico ↔ Redlands470 miles apart
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.

ChicoRedlands
People
Population 102,188Highest 73,375Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +17.7%Highest CA: +6.1% +6.4%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 31.1±0.6Lowest 18% below CA 34.6±1.1Highest 9% below CA
Kids under 18 18.4%±0.9Lowest CA: 22% 23.9%±1.8Highest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 14.2%±0.7Lowest CA: 15.7% 14.9%±1.1Highest CA: 15.7%
Redlands and Chico are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 42.2%Highest CA: 37.1% 41.5%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 17.7%±1Highest CA: 7.6% 9.1%±0.9Lowest CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $66,977±$3kLowest 32% below CA $105,041±$6kHighest 6% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $468,100±$8kLowest 36% below CA $618,900±$15kHighest 16% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,488±$35Lowest 27% below CA $2,005±$66Highest about the CA average
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,656Lowest 29% below CA $4,541Highest 11% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.2%±3.2Highest CA: 55.3% 48.2%±5.3Lowest CA: 55.3%
Below poverty line 22.7%Highest CA: 12% 9.1%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 43.4%Lowest CA: 55.9% 56.8%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 25 minHighest 13% below CA
Work from home 13.5%±1.2Lowest CA: 17.2% 13.8%±1.9Highest CA: 17.2%
Redlands 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 18.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.3 miLowest 11.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.12Lowest 1.23Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Oroville (5%)San Bernardino (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RedlandsFew work in Chico
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 25.8%Highest 15.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 93.3 miHighest 73.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.7 miHighest 2.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 22Lowest 24Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 79.5Highest 51.2Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #236 of 574 in CA—
School district Butte County ROP · Inspire School of Arts and Sciences DistrictColton-Redlands-Yucaipa ROP · Grove District
High school in town Pleasant Valley HighRedlands Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school 22.4Highest 22.2Lowest
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.

Redlands neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Redlands’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Chico and Redlands

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

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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