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.

Down paymentRate%

Oroville$1,820/mo

Typical home $308K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.81% · or rent about $1,093/mo · Housing →

Blythe$1,280/mo

Typical home $217K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.81% · or rent about $938/mo · Housing →

The difference: $540 a month, about $6,500 a year, between Oroville and Blythe.

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

Oroville places higher on 13 of 23 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.

Safety

D−OrovilleSafer than 2% of U.S. towns CBlytheSafer than 26% of U.S. towns

Schools

C−OrovilleBetter than 21% of districts in the state B−BlytheBetter than 49% of districts in the state

Health

C−OrovilleHealthier than 20% of U.S. towns D−BlytheHealthier than 5% of U.S. towns

13Oroville

9Blythe

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #37#796 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #38#433 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #830#420 SafestSafety · 411 towns #401#234 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #328#551 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #504#739 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #594#829 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #562#778

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Oroville’s rankings →

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

OrovilleBlythe

Snow a year—0″

January low—40°F

July high—110°F

Growing season (days)—325d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)65th 50th

Outdoors & history

OrovilleBlythe

Trails10 mi 10 mi

Conserved land3.8%5.9%

Settled—1916

National Register places5 —

Archive photos22 30

Famous people born here18 —

Community

OrovilleBlythe

Library hours a week—36 hrs

Colleges in town—1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined1 0

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

557 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OrovilleCA BlytheCA

Oroville ↔ Blythe557 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.

Only big differences vs California average

OrovilleBlythe

People

Population 19,752Highest 17,396Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +28.9%Highest CA: +6.1% -12%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 35.8±1.8Lowest 6% below CA 38.3±1.7Highest about the CA average

Blythe and Oroville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 23.7%±2.9Highest CA: 22% 20.3%±2.5Lowest CA: 22%

Oroville and Blythe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 14.8%±2Highest CA: 15.7% 10.2%±1.6Lowest CA: 15.7%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 12.2%Highest CA: 37.1% 8.5%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±1.3Lowest CA: 7.6% 9%±1.3Highest CA: 7.6%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $52,270±$6kLowest 47% below CA $56,625±$12kHighest 43% below CA

Blythe and Oroville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $311,600±$15kHighest 58% below CA $225,000±$18kLowest 69% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,093±$60Highest 46% below CA $938±$107Lowest 54% below CA

Oroville and Blythe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,521Highest 51% below CA $1,830Lowest 64% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56%±9.6Highest CA: 55.3% 54.3%±9.9Lowest CA: 55.3%

Oroville and Blythe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 21.4%Highest CA: 12% 18.9%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 53%Lowest CA: 55.9% 57.3%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1967Lowest 9 yrs older than CA 1980Highest 4 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 31% below CA 19 minLowest 34% below CA

Work from home 7.5%±2.9Highest CA: 17.2% 3.3%±2Lowest CA: 17.2%

Oroville and Blythe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 31.8%Lowest 35.7%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.8 miLowest 77.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.76Highest 0.80Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Chico (13%)Ehrenberg (5%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BlytheFew work in Oroville

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.8%Lowest 5.9%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 10.2 miLowest 10.3 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.4 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 13Highest 5Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 48.8Highest 15.0Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #328 of 574 in CA #551 of 574 in CA

School district Oroville City Elementary · Oroville Union HighPalo Verde Unified

High school in town Oroville HighPalo Verde High

Students per teacherat that high school 19.6Lowest 21.0Highest

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.

Oroville neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in Oroville can answer.

Blythe neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Blythe’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Oroville and Blythe

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

Bordering Oroville

+ Compare

Oroville East7,504 people · $405K homes

+ Compare

Thermalito6,720 people · $255K homes

+ Compare

South Oroville2,846 people · $262K homes

+ Compare

Palermo5,266 people · $283K homes

Towns like Oroville

+ Compare

Coalinga17,203 people · $262K homes

+ Compare

California City14,414 people · $278K homes

+ Compare

Susanville14,177 people · $236K homes

+ Compare

Chowchilla19,020 people · $364K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks California towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Oroville vs Blythe

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $540 more a month in Oroville

Oroville places higher on 13 of 23 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

557 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Oroville and Blythe

Bordering Oroville

Towns like Oroville

Post to Oroville

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