County profile

Butte County

California · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
207,929
Median household income
$67,928
People below poverty
19.2%
Median home value
$424,700

Income

The median income of households in Butte County, California was $67,928. An estimated 6% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 10.4% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 6
$10,000 to $14,999 3.8
$15,000 to $24,999 9.5
$25,000 to $34,999 8.5
$35,000 to $49,999 10.9
$50,000 to $74,999 15.2
$75,000 to $99,999 12.2
$100,000 to $149,999 15.5
$150,000 to $199,999 8.1
$200,000 or more 10.4

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 62905
Female 53560

An estimated 74.2% of households received earnings. An estimated 33.4% of households received Social Security and an estimated 26.2 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,465. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 74.2
Social Security 33.4
Retirement income 26.2
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 6.4
Cash public assistance income 4.9

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 19.2 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 21.1% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.6% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 21.2% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 19.2
Children under 18 years below poverty 21.1
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.6
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 21.2

In 2020-2024, 16 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 40.6% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 30.4% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 25.4% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Butte County, California in 2020-2024, 93.6% had health insurance coverage and 6.4% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 60.5% and public coverage was 48.4%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3.7%.


In 2020-2024, Butte County, California had a total population of 207,929 - 104,393 (50.2%) females and 103,536 (49.8%) males. The median age was 36.2 years. An estimated 20.4% of the population was under 18 years, 36.1% was 19 to 44 years, 21.6% was 45 to 64 years, and 18.4 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Butte County, California in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 5550 5226
5 to 9 6495 5964
10 to 14 6000 5708
15 to 19 7416 7306
20 to 24 11552 11524
25 to 29 7239 6537
30 to 34 6898 6649
35 to 39 6972 6482
40 to 44 5802 5528
45 to 49 5408 5188
50 to 54 5380 5297
55 to 59 5650 6371
60 to 64 5680 5880
65 to 69 5751 6116
70 to 74 5097 5884
75 to 79 3119 4051
80 to 84 2105 2502
85 and over 1422 2180

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 69.5% were White; 1.8% were Black or African American; 8.7% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 5.6% were Asian; 0.8% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 14.8% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 20% of the people in Butte County, California were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 65.1% of the people in Butte County, California were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 83,312 households in Butte County, California. The average household size was 2.42 people.

Married-couple households made up 40.5% of the households in Butte County, California while cohabiting couple households made up 10.5% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 27.7% of all households, while 21.2% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 13.2% of households were male householders living alone, and 14.9% were female householders living alone, for a total of 28.1% of all households.

In Butte County, California, 26.3% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 32.5% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 40.5
Cohabiting Couples 10.5
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
21.2
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
27.7

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 42.9% of males and 40.4% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 42.7 36.7
Now married, except separated 42.9 40.4
Separated 1.7 2
Widowed 2.5 8.3
Divorced 10.2 12.7

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Butte County, California, 3,246 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 26.4% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 91.4% of the people living in Butte County, California were U.S. natives. 74.4% of the Butte County, California population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 8.6% of Butte County, California residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 51.2% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 73.7 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Butte County, California come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Butte County, California.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 48
Asia 35.1
Europe 11.2
Africa 1.2
Northern America 3.2
Oceania 1.3

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Butte County, California in 2020-2024, 16.6 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 10.8% of people at least five years old; 6% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 10.8
Other Indo-European languages 1.5
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 3.7
Other languages 0.5

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 82.6 % of the people at least one year old living in Butte County, California were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 82.6
Different house, same county 10.3
Different county, same state 5.7
Different state 0.9
Abroad 0.5

Education

In 2020-2024, 90.6 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 31.9% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 9.4% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Butte County, California was 56,941 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 2,373 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 31,197. College or graduate school enrollment was 23,371.

Educational Attainment of People in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 9.4
High school diploma or equivalency 22.7
Some college, no degree 25
Associate's degree 11
Bachelor's degree 20.5
Graduate or professional degree 11.4

Disability

In Butte County, California, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 16.3 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 6.1% of people under 18 years old, to 14.8% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 33.3% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Butte County, California, 54.7 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 40.8% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 72.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 18.5% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 8.3 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 67,943 72.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 17,245 18.5
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 7,755 8.3

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Butte County, California worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 3.1
Construction 6.4
Manufacturing 5.6
Wholesale trade 2.2
Retail trade 11.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 3.8
Information 1.9
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.5
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 10.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 28
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 12.3
Other Services, except public administration 5.1
Public administration 4.3

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 37,495 40.2
Service occupations 20,336 21.8
Sales and office occupations 19,981 21.4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 7,322 7.9
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 8,094 8.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 71.9% of Butte County, California workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9.4% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 21 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 71.9
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9.4
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.6
Walked 2.9
Other means 2.7
Worked from home 12.6

In 2020-2024, Butte County, California had a total of 92,813 housing units. Of these housing units, 63.9% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 25.1% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 10.3% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 63.9
Apartments in multi-unit structures 25.1
Mobile homes 10.3
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.6

10.5% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 6.7% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Butte County, California was 5.1 rooms, and of these housing units 55% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Butte County, California had 83,312 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 9,501 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 57.3% while renters occupied 42.7%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.54 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.26.

6.8% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 7.4% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6% and another 25.6% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Butte County, California:

House Heating Fuel Used in Butte County, California in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 54.5
Electricity 35
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.2
All other fuels 9.4
No fuel used 0.8

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Butte County, California was $424,700.

Of the owner-occupied households, 58.3 % had a mortgage. 41.7% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $2,187 and for owners without a mortgage it was $689.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Butte County, California was $1,414. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.