akashic
1876–2024
Chico, CA·California

Chico, CA moved 5 points toward the Republican candidate between 2020 and 2024.

Butte County hub that shifted sharply right after the 2018 Camp Fire

1876 — 2024·38 elections
CA
LatestR+3in 2024
TypologyDiversifying Metrocluster typology
Population207,9292024 ACS

Chico, CA, California: Diversifying Metro metro. In 2024, voted R+3%. Democratic peak: D+46 in 1912.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+3MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Diversifying MetroAkashic typology
Population
207,9292024 5-year
Median household income
$67,9282024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
69.5%2024 5-year
Black
1.8%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
20.0%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+46 in 1912MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+38 in 1920MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Chico, CA
TrumpR+3
—
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican49.9%47,179
Kamala HarrisDemocratic46.8%44,228
OtherAll other candidates3.3%3,116
D+60
R+60
1 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1876 to 2024. Most recent: −3.1% in 2024.flipped R · 2024−3.1%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876−0.9%
1880+0.5%
1884−1.2%
1888+0.5%
1892−0.8%
1896+1.0%
1900−7.0%
1904−25.8%
1908−16.2%
1912+45.7%
1916+9.6%
1920−38.2%
1924−29.7%
1928−22.6%
1932+35.9%
1936+33.8%
1940+17.7%
1944+5.7%
1948−3.7%
1952−27.1%
1956−17.3%
1960−15.7%
1964+3.1%
1968−23.8%
1972−20.8%
1976−7.7%
1980−28.3%
1984−27.7%
1988−13.6%
1992+1.0%
1996−10.4%
2000−17.0%
2004−9.6%
2008+2.3%
2012−2.0%
2016−3.7%
2020+1.9%
2024−3.1%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−3.1%
44,22847,17994,523
D
+1.9%
50,81548,819102,565
R
−3.7%
41,56745,14497,002
R
−2.0%
42,66944,47991,021
D
+2.3%
49,01346,70698,707
R
−9.6%
42,44851,66296,157
R
−17.0%
31,33845,58483,721
R
−10.4%
30,65138,96179,550
D
+1.0%
32,48931,60885,014
R
−13.6%
30,40640,14371,631
R
−27.7%
25,42145,38171,964
R
−28.3%
19,52038,18866,012
R
−7.7%
24,20328,40054,854
R
−20.8%
18,40128,81950,028
R
−23.8%
12,88722,22539,211
D
+3.1%
20,83119,57440,419
R
−15.7%
15,16320,83836,175
R
−17.3%
12,93318,38231,462
R
−27.1%
10,49118,39029,133
R
−3.7%
10,13310,94822,181
D
+5.7%
8,8117,85216,768
D
+17.7%
10,6847,43318,372
D
+33.8%
10,4905,10315,928
D
+35.9%
9,6454,32214,832
R
−22.6%
3,9466,30610,432
O
−29.7%
1,2994,38210,372
R
−38.2%
2,2625,4098,234
D
+9.6%
4,8883,9569,669
O
+45.7%
4,02808,822
R
−16.2%
2,1463,0945,866
R
−25.8%
1,5742,7994,757
R
−7.0%
2,0112,3224,419
D
+1.0%
2,1202,0754,295
R
−0.8%
2,1412,1804,665
D
+0.5%
2,2152,1914,541
R
−1.2%
2,1182,1724,427
D
+0.5%
1,8321,8143,646
R
−0.9%
1,6341,6653,299

Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
13.8%
English
12.3%
Irish
11.4%
Italian
5.4%
American
5.0%
Scottish
2.7%
French
2.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 36.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.7%
85+
1.0%
2.5%
75–84
3.2%
5.2%
65–74
5.8%
5.4%
55–64
5.9%
5.2%
45–54
5.0%
6.1%
35–44
5.8%
6.8%
25–34
6.3%
7.3%
18–24
7.3%
7.9%
5–17
7.4%
2.7%
<5
2.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$67,928
Chico, CA ranks near the middle of US counties.
Chico, CA$67,928
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
19.2%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1821.1%
Working age (18–64)19.4%
Seniors (65+)12.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
83.4%
speak English only
Spanish10.8%
Asian & Pacific Islander3.7%
Other Indo-European1.5%
Other languages0.5%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
11.6%
Catholic & Orthodox
10.7%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.3%
Mainline Protestant
1.9%
Baptist
1.3%
Methodist
0.7%
Non-Christian
0.5%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 71.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Chico's metro, anchored in Butte County, recorded an R+9.1 margin in 2024—a striking lean for a Northern California college town that once split closer to evenly before the Camp Fire reshaped its population and politics.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of forty-six points in 1912 and a Republican high of thirty-eight points in 1920. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved five points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was three points.

A population of 207,929, a 70% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $67,928 describe the metro.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Chico, CA, California. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/17020/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Chico, CA, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Chico, CA, California voted Republican by 3.1 points (R+3), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 94,523 votes cast, 44,228 went Democratic and 47,179 went Republican.
What is Chico, CA, California's political typology?
Akashic places Chico, CA, California in the "Diversifying Metro" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 12 times, Republican 24 times, and other 2 times.
When did Chico, CA, California last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Chico, CA, California voted Democratic was 2020.
How many people live in Chico, CA, California?
Chico, CA, California has a population of 207,929 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Chico, CA, California?
Median household income in Chico, CA, California is $67,928 — below the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Chico, CA, California?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Chico, CA, California from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 12 went Democratic and 24 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Diversifying Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.