What is the median rent in Chico, CA?

Name: Median rent in Chico, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Chico, CA is $1,488 (±$35) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 23,640 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Chico, the median gross rent went from $1,100 in 2015–2019 to $1,488 in 2020–2024 (+35.3%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,488 (±$35)
Rented homes: 23,640 (±817)
$2,000 or more: 21.3%
Since 2015–2019: +35.3%

How much rent costs in Chico

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Chico	Butte County	California	United States
Less than $500	2.8% (±0.8 points)	3.4%	3.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	11.2% (±1.9 points)	15.6%	7.2%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	37.0% (±2.8 points)	37.5%	16.2%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	27.7% (±2.6 points)	24.7%	21.5%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	13.6% (±2.2 points)	11.8%	19.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	5.1% (±1.2 points)	4.8%	12.5%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	2.6% (±0.9 points)	2.4%	19.1%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 37.0% of renting households.

21.3% of rented homes in Chico cost $2,000 or more a month.

Chico against Butte County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Chico	Butte County	California	United States
Median gross rent	$1,488 (±$35)	$1,414 (±$26)	$2,036 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	23,640 (±817)	34,127 (±957)	5,783,331 (±22,650)	42,849,984

In Chico, median gross rent is higher than in Butte County ($1,414).

It is also lower than in California ($2,036).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

In Butte County, Chico ranks 2 of 12 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 727 of 1,010.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Chico has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,100 (±$25)	$1,488 (±$35)	+35.3%	Up after inflation
Households that rent	55.3% (±1.6 points)	56.6% (±1.9 points)	+1.3 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	8.4% (±1.3 points)	5.6% (±1.3 points)	−2.8 percentage points	Measurable decrease

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near Chico

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Chico
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Chico	—	$1,488 (±$35)	—
Durham	9.1 mi	$1,105 (±$82)	Lower
Hamilton City	10 mi	$903 (±$47)	Lower
Paradise	11 mi	$1,241 (±$142)	Lower
Magalia	12 mi	$1,478 (±$201)	Not measurably different
Orland	20 mi	$1,146 (±$129)	Lower
Thermalito	21 mi	$1,178 (±$165)	Lower
Corning	23 mi	$961 (±$182)	Lower
Oroville	23 mi	$1,093 (±$60)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Durham, CA ($1,105), Hamilton City, CA ($903), Paradise, CA ($1,241).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Butte County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	Kelly Ridge	$2,505 (±$912)
2	Chico	$1,488 (±$35)
3	Magalia	$1,478 (±$201)
4	Biggs	$1,474 (±$212)
5	South Oroville	$1,412 (±$157)
6	Paradise	$1,241 (±$142)
7	Oroville East	$1,211 (±$605)
8	Thermalito	$1,178 (±$165)

Showing 8 of 12 places in Butte County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Chico

What is the average rent in Chico, CA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Chico is $1,488 (±$35) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Chico?

In Chico, the median gross rent went from $1,100 in 2015–2019 to $1,488 in 2020–2024 (+35.3%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

How many rentals in Chico cost more than $2,000 a month?

21.3% of rented homes in Chico have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 2.8% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Chico higher than in Butte County?

In Chico, median gross rent is higher than in Butte County ($1,414).

It is also lower than in California ($2,036).

It is higher than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Chico city, California (place:13014, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.