Demographics. There are roughly 86,949 people in Chico. There were 17,034 students at Chico State in the 2007-8 academic year which accounts for 15,822 full time equivalent students. There are also 14,200 Butte College students most of which live in Chico. The median age is 25.9 years old, average household income is $23,424, and average home sale price is $141,600.
The United States Census is a constitutionally mandated program and it occurs every 10 years. The next U.S. Census will occur in 2010. What follows is a summary of the 2000 Census results which sheds light on the demographics of Chico. More information can be found at the Chico City fact-sheet at http://www.census.gov. See also Geography.
2000 Census
In 2000, Chico's population weighed in at 59,954 persons, mushrooming by nearly 20,000 people since 1990. Males accounted for 49.1% of the population while females made up 50.9%. 9.9% of the 2000 population were over 65 years of age, with most of the population in Chico being over 18. Of this population, African Americans comprised 2%, American Indians/Alaskan Natives at 1.3%, Asians at 4.3% (Chico has a large Hmong population) and Hispanics at 12.3%.
Within that same 2000 census, 33.6% of the population held bachelors degrees — 9.2% above the national average. 87% of the population has a High School diploma, 7% above the national average. 14.1% of responders speak a language other than English in their homes.
62.8% of Chicoans are in the workforce and their median household income from 1999 was $29,359, $12,635 below the national average. 12.7% of families are below the poverty line, while 26.6% of individuals are below — 14.2% above the national average.
An interesting fact, since this is a college town, 59.6% of homes in Chico are rented, where the national averages hangs low at 33.8%.
Population Growth
According to the City of Chico General Plan Update
| Year | Chico Population |
| 1864 | 500 |
| 1872 | 1000 |
| 1881 | 4500 |
| 1920 | 15517 |
| 1950 | 12272 |
| 1965 | 18100 |
| 1980 | 26601 |
| 1990 | 41492 |
| 1995 | 50100 |
| 2000 | 65175 |
| 2005 | 79091 |
| 2006 | 85128 |
| 2008 | 86949 |
| 2010(est) | 92250 |
| 2030(est) | 131000 |
Ethnic breakdown
City of Chico
According to the source
| Ethnicity | percentage |
| White Non-Hispanic | 77.2% |
| Hispanic | 12.3% |
| Two or more races | 4.3% |
| Other race | 5.7% |
| Black | 2.0% |
| Japanese | 0.6% |
| Chinese | 0.6% |
| American Indian | 2.6% |
| Other Asian | 2.1% |
Ancestries
| Ethnicity | percentage |
| German | 16.4% |
| Irish | 12.4% |
| English | 11.2% |
| Italian | 6.3% |
| United States | 4.1% |
| French | 3.4% |
About 8.9% of people in Chico are foreign born (4.1% Latin America, 3.2% Asia, 1.0% Europe).
CSU Chico
General Undergrad Breakdown
According to another source
| Ethnicity | percentage |
| African American | 1.9% |
| American Indian | 1.1% |
| Asian American | 5.6% |
| Filipino | 0.8% |
| Mexican American | 8.9% |
| Other Latino | 3.4% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| White, Non-Latino | 65.4% |
| Unknown | 12.3% |
Unemployment rate (September 2007)
- 5.6%
