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 →

Palermo$1,410/mo

Typical home $243K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $1,135/mo · Housing →

The difference: $420 a month, about $5,000 a year, between Oroville and Palermo.

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 19 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 –PalermoNot graded

Schools

C−OrovilleBetter than 21% of districts in the state B−PalermoBetter than 46% of districts in the state

Health

C−OrovilleHealthier than 20% of U.S. towns DPalermoHealthier than 11% of U.S. towns

13Oroville

5Palermo

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #37#485 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #81#469 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #460#677 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #562#820 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #423#564 Most activeHealth · 844 towns #603#697 Most remote workersWork · 801 towns #598#509 Lowest property taxCost of living · 835 towns #152#72

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

Where they are

Oroville and Palermo share a border

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

OrovillePalermo

Oroville ↔ Palermo4.9 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

409 Palermo residents work in Oroville (25.7% of its workers)

Work & commute in Palermo →

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

OrovillePalermo

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)65th 86th

Outdoors & history

OrovillePalermo

Trails10 mi 1 mi

Conserved land3.8%1.9%

National Register places5 1

Archive photos22 5

Famous people born here18 1

Community

OrovillePalermo

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.

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

OrovillePalermo

People

Population 19,752Highest 5,266Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +28.9%Highest CA: +6.1% +3.2%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 35.8±1.8Lowest 6% below CA 47±6.9Highest 24% above CA

Kids under 18 23.7%±2.9Highest CA: 22% 20%±3.7Lowest CA: 22%

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

Age 65+ 14.8%±2Lowest CA: 15.7% 23.1%±2.9Highest CA: 15.7%

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

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±1.3Highest CA: 7.6% 3.2%±1.9Lowest CA: 7.6%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $52,270±$6kHighest 47% below CA $50,588±$13kLowest 49% below CA

Oroville and Palermo 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 $283,000±$47kLowest 61% below CA

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,093±$60Lowest 46% below CA $1,135±$122Highest 44% below CA

Palermo and Oroville 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 $1,853Lowest 64% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56%±9.6Lowest CA: 55.3% 61.7%±14.1Highest CA: 55.3%

Palermo and Oroville 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% 20.1%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 53%Lowest CA: 55.9% 68.7%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1967Lowest 9 yrs older than CA 1979Highest 3 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 31% below CA 29 minHighest about the CA average

Work from home 7.5%±2.9Lowest CA: 17.2% 9.9%±5.7Highest CA: 17.2%

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

Work in townworking residents 31.8%Highest 4.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.8 miLowest 21.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.76Highest 0.22Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Chico (13%)Oroville (26%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Palermo26% work in Oroville

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.8%Highest 1.9%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 10.2 miHighest 1.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 13Highest 1Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 48.8Highest 8.8Lowest

Schools

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

School district Oroville City Elementary · Oroville Union HighPalermo Union Elementary

High school in town Oroville HighNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 19.6 —

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.

Palermo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Palermo’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Oroville and Palermo

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

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 Palermo

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $420 more a month in Oroville

Oroville places higher on 13 of 19 CA lists

Oroville and Palermo share a border

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Oroville and Palermo

Bordering Oroville

Towns like Oroville

Post to Oroville

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