Chico vs Concord
The short version
- Chico is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the Concord area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $468,100 in Chico and $797,600 in Concord.
- Households earn more in Concord ($108,709 vs $66,977 median).
- Chico is growing faster: +0.5% since 2020 vs -1.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Chico (18 vs 33 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Chico, CA | Concord, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 105,081 | 123,261 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.5% | -1.7% |
| People per square mile | 3,057 | 4,032 |
| Median age | 31.1 | 39.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42% | 38% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $66,977 | $108,709 |
| Median home value | $468,100 | $797,600 |
| Home value to income | 7.0× | 7.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,488 | $2,274 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.2 | 115.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 91.9 | 194.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,900 | $86,700 |
| Homeowners | 43% | 62% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.8 | 32.6 |
| Work from home | 14% | 18% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 6% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.8% | 5.4% |
| Poverty rate | 22.7% | 8.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 54° / 41° | 58° / 41° |
| July high / low | 91° / 67° | 88° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 56 in | 16 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 65 | 51 |
| Nights below freezing | 7 | 8 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 8 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.9 | 99.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 65% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | -2.1% | -4.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +13.1% | +8.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Chico: May to June and September to October. Concord: February to June and September to November.
Full monthly tables: Chico weather by month and Concord weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,900 in Chico and $86,700 in Concord. Moving from Chico to Concord, you would need about $85,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Chico and Concord
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Chico and Concord.
Which would you pick?
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