Living in Chico (California)

Chico (California) is a city in California, United States, home to 121,345 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are retired couples (top 33%, #3,122 of 9,474), car-free households (top 41%, #1,575 of 3,933), digital natives (top 42%, #1,956 of 4,750).

Residents121,345

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport118 km (Sacramento International)

Nearest city of 100k+Itself

Within 30 km169,100 people

Lake shore24 km (Lake Oroville)

Climate typeMediterranean, hot summer (Csa)

Terrain around itabout 50 m, height range 30 m

Nearest large lakeLake Oroville, 23 km

Nearest major riverSacramento, 8.4 km

Main railway line25.1 km

Distance to Washington, D.C.3,817 km

Within 10 km126,863 people

Winter daylight9 h 21 min, sunset 1:46

See Chico (California) on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Chico (California)

On the shortest day the sun is up for 9 h 21 min and sets around 1:46; in late June it sets around 5:39.

How Chico (California) ranks

Scores run 0 to 100 against every municipality in United States. Ranks count only the places that pass each profile's minimums, so the totals differ by profile. Local data: official statistics on affordability, green space, education and family, health and elderly, jobs and economy, lifestyle and amenities, mobility and connectivity and safety and community (local or regional figures, sources on every place page) plus population and geography.

Profile	Score	In United States	In California
Young family	37	#9,110 of 11,898	#383 of 863	Map
Low-income household	21	#8,742 of 9,771	#253 of 775	Map
Low-income family	27	#7,191 of 8,006	#290 of 709	Map
Single parent	34	#5,437 of 6,237	#284 of 612	Map
Pensioner couple	64	#3,122 of 9,474	#306 of 760	Map
Single pensioner	54	#6,212 of 9,474	#494 of 760	Map
Early retiree	60	#4,787 of 10,762	#461 of 811	Map
Single professional	43	#3,416 of 4,537	#404 of 532	Map
Young professional	48	#3,180 of 4,444	#398 of 527	Map
DINKS	45	#2,638 of 3,053	#379 of 420	Map
Remote worker	57	#3,901 of 7,271	#147 of 648	Map
Commuter	61	#3,818 of 6,227	#410 of 645	Map
Car-free household	61	#1,575 of 3,933	#266 of 490	Map
Student		not ranked: below the minimum for campus	–	Map
First-home buyer	35	#5,759 of 8,006	#147 of 709	Map
Budget-constrained mover	21	#10,752 of 12,111	#171 of 862	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	51	#2,319 of 4,114	#332 of 506	Map
Expat professional	45	#4,835 of 7,271	#520 of 648	Map
Healthcare-first mover	48	#6,967 of 9,474	#563 of 760	Map
Nature-focused household	17	#17,377 of 18,063	#716 of 1060	Map
Cross-border commuter		not ranked: must-have: a border within 45 km where pay is higher on the other side	–	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	0	#15,929 of 16,523	#901 of 1020	Map
Rural value seeker	9	#17,186 of 18,063	#545 of 1060	Map
High-net-worth mover	57	#6,137 of 16,523	#589 of 1020	Map
Lottery winner	61	#4,468 of 21,167	#464 of 1147	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	58	#8,412 of 12,111	#420 of 862	Map
Coastal living	57	#5,508 of 6,413	#421 of 490	Map
Business owner	47	#6,630 of 12,111	#590 of 862	Map
Digital native	53	#1,956 of 4,750	#272 of 551	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)95
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)91
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)90
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)89
Foundation82
Flat land (terrain relief)82
Mobility and connectivity72
Sea or lake shore63
Lifestyle and amenities56
Health and elderly55
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)53
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)46
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)42
Education and family41
Jobs and economy30
Safety and community25
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)23
Affordability17
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)11
Green space11
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)3
Port access (major sea or inland port)0
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)0
National border nearby (straight line)0
Financial centre (banking and capital markets) within commuting distance0
Commodity-trading or gold hub within commuting distance0
Crypto hub within commuting distance0
Wealth-management centre within commuting distance0

Nearby

Data: Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024; locations EDJNet LAU centres; airports OurAirports; coastline Natural Earth. Updated 2026-10-31. Rankings are decision aids, not advice.