Butte County, California

History

Butte County is named for the visually striking +2000 ft Sutter Buttes in neighboring Sutter County. Butte County was incorporated as one of California's 27 original counties on February 18, 1850. The county went across the present limits of the Tehama, Plumas, Colusa, and Sutter Counties. Suffragists from Butte County including Minnie Sharkey Abrams played a notable role in the women's suffrage campaign in 1911.

Between November 8 and 25, 2018, a major wildfire, the Camp Fire, destroyed most of the town of Paradise, the adjacent community of Concow, and a large area of rural, hilly country east of Chico. More than 80 people were killed, 50,000 were displaced, over 150,000 acres were burned, and nearly 20,000 buildings were destroyed. The Camp Fire was California's most destructive and deadliest fire.

On July 24, 2024, the Park Fire ignited four miles south of downtown Chico in Bidwell Park. This was due to an act of arson by Chico resident Ronnie Dean Stout II, as he revved the engines of his mom's 2007 Toyota Yaris because he got stuck in the grass, causing the surrounding area to catch fire. Over the course of the next 64 days, the fire crossed the county line with Tehama County, burned 429,603 acres, killed one person, and destroyed 709 structures. It became the largest wildfire caused by arson in the state's history, the fourth largest fire in the state's history, the largest fire of the 2024 California Wildfire Season, and the second largest single fire in the state's history (as opposed to a complex fire, with multiple ignition points).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1677 sqmi, of which 41 sqmi (2.4%) are covered by water.

The county is drained by the Feather River and Butte Creek. Part of the county's western border is formed by the Sacramento River. The county lies along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, the steep slopes making it prime territory for the siting of hydroelectric power plants. About a half dozen of these plants are located in the county, one of which, serves the Oroville Dam.

National protected areas

• Butte Sink National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Lassen National Forest (part)
• Plumas National Forest (part)
• Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Adjacent counties

• Sutter County, California – south
• Colusa County, California – southwest
• Glenn County, California – west
• Tehama County, California – northwest
• Plumas County, California – northeast
• Yuba County, California – southeast

Demographics

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1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Butte County had a population of 211,632. The median age was 37.9 years, 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18, and 19.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.3 males age 18 and over.

79.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 21.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 83,268 households in the county, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The county's population was 70.7% White, 1.7% Black or African American, 2.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.0% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 8.6% from some other race, and 11.7% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 19.0% of the population.

There were 90,133 housing units, of which 7.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 56.2% were owner-occupied and 43.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 Census

The 2010 United States census reported that Butte County had a population of 220,000. The racial makeup of Butte County was 180,096 (81.9%) White, 3,415 (1.6%) African American, 4,395 (2.0%) Native American, 9,057 (4.1%) Asian, 452 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 12,141 (5.5%) from other races, and 10,444 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 31,116 persons (14.1%).

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 203,171 people, 79,566 households, and 49,410 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 /mi2. There were 85,523 housing units at an average density of 52 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 84.5% White, 10.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino, 3.3% Asian, 1.9% Native American, 1.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 4.8% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. 87.9% spoke English, 7.8% Spanish and 1.4% Hmong as their first language.

There were 79,566 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,924, and the median income for a family was $41,010. Males had a median income of $34,137 versus $25,393 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,517. About 12.2% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.8% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Health and crime

There are four major hospitals and the State of California defines Butte County as being inside Health Service Area 1. A special district, the Butte County Air Quality Management District, regulates airborne pollutant emissions in the county. It does this following regional regulations, state, and federal laws. For example, in recent years, the agency changed rules that once allowed residents to burn household trash outdoors.

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates

Government

Law enforcement

The Butte County Sheriff's Office provides general-service law enforcement to unincorporated areas of Butte County, serving as the equivalent of the county police for unincorporated areas of the county as well as incorporated cities within the county who have contracted with the agency for law-enforcement services (known as "contract cities" in local jargon). It also holds primary jurisdiction over facilities operated by Butte County, such as local parks, marinas and government buildings; provides marshal service for the Butte County Superior Court; operates the county jail system; and provides services such as laboratories and academy training to smaller law enforcement agencies within the county. The first sheriff of Butte County was Joseph Q. Wilbur. Kory Honea has been the sheriff since 2014.

Voter registration statistics

Cities by population and voter registration

Local

The citizens of the county of Butte are represented by the five member Butte County Board of Supervisors.

Tribal

The Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu Indians of California is headquartered in Oroville. The Berry Creek Rancheria operates Gold Country Casino.

The Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California is also headquartered in Oroville. The Mooretown Rancheria operates Feather Falls Casino.

The governmental headquarters of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria is located in Chico.

State

Butte County is in .{{Cite web |access-date = November 4, 2025 |access-date = November 4, 2025

According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Butte County has 172,054 registered voters. Of those, 42,093 (34.4%) are registered Democrats, 41,330 (33.8%) are registered Republicans and 30,377 (24.8%) have declined to state a political party.

On November 4, 2008, Butte County voted 56.7% for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.

Federal

Butte County is in .

Butte is a bellwether county in presidential elections, and one of only thirteen to have voted for Barack Obama in 2008, Mitt Romney in 2012, Donald Trump in 2016, and Joe Biden in 2020.

Education

Public schools

There are roughly 90 public schools in the county according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.

The following school districts cover portions of the county:

K-12:

• Biggs Unified School District
• Chico Unified School District
• Durham Unified School District
• Gridley Unified School District
• Marysville Joint Unified School District
• Paradise Unified School District

Secondary:

• Oroville Union High School District

Elementary:

• Bangor Union Elementary School District
• Feather Falls Union Elementary School District
• Golden Feather Union Elementary School District
• Manzanita Elementary School District
• Oroville City Elementary School District
• Palermo Union School District
• Pioneer Union Elementary School District
• Thermalito Union School District

Colleges and universities

• Butte College
• Butte–Glenn Community College District
• California State University, Chico

Public libraries

Butte County Library provides library services to residents of the County through six branches in Biggs, Chico, Durham, Gridley, Oroville and Paradise. The mission of the Butte County Library is to provide all individuals, regardless of age, ethnic background, educational or economic level, with free access to ideas, information, and technology.

For many years, the library served rural and mountain communities through regularly scheduled bookmobile visits; however, due to budget cuts, this service was discontinued in 2009 and the bookmobile was sold. The library serves low-literacy adults through several programs of the Butte County Library Literacy Services division, including the Adult Reading Program, Families for Literacy and the Literacy Coach, a 36 ft vehicle that provides mobile programming like story times, parent meetings, workshops, and computer and teacher trainings.

The library operates as a department of the County of Butte, governed by the Butte County Board of Supervisors.

Transportation

Major highways

• [[File:California 32.svg|20px|link= |alt=]] State Route 32
• [[File:California 70.svg|20px|link= |alt=]] State Route 70
• [[File:California 99.svg|20px|link= |alt=]] State Route 99
• [[File:California 149.svg|20px|link= |alt=]] State Route 149
• [[File:California 162.svg|20px|link= |alt=]] State Route 162
• [[File:California 191.svg|20px|link= |alt=]] State Route 191

Public transportation

Butte Regional Transit or the B-Line, provides service in and between Chico, Oroville, Paradise, Gridley and Biggs. Chico is also a connection point for Glenn Ride buses to Glenn County and Plumas Transit Systems buses to Plumas County.

Greyhound and FlixBus buses stop in Chico.

Amtrak's Coast Starlight (Los Angeles-Seattle) passenger train makes a stop daily in each direction in Chico's Chico station.

Airports

General Aviation airports in Butte County include:

• Chico Municipal Airport
• Oroville Municipal Airport
• Paradise Airport
• Ranchaero Airport
• Richvale Airport

Communities

Cities

• Biggs
• Chico
• Gridley
• Oroville (county seat)

Towns

• Paradise

Census-designated places

• Bangor
• Berry Creek
• Butte Creek Canyon
• Butte Meadows
• Butte Valley
• Cherokee
• Clipper Mills
• Cohasset
• Concow
• Durham
• Forbestown
• Forest Ranch
• Honcut
• Kelly Ridge
• Magalia
• Nord
• Oroville East
• Palermo
• Rackerby
• Richvale
• Robinson Mill
• South Oroville
• Stirling City
• Thermalito
• Yankee Hill

Unincorporated communities

• Centerville
• DeSabla
• Helltown
• Inskip
• Lomo
• Lovelock
• Powellton

Former townships

In August 1851, the county was divided into six judicial (civil) townships, the four marked by asterisks below, plus Quartz and Mineral, which were separated from Butte County with the formation of Plumas County in 1854.

Between 1851 and 1861, there were several additions and other realignments of the township boundaries; from 1861, the townships were:

• Bidwell
• Chico
• Concow
• Hamilton*
• Kimshew
• Mountain Spring
• Ophir*
• Oregon*
• Oro*
• Wyandotte

Townships created and dissolved between 1851 and 1861 were Benton, Eureka, and Cascade.{{cite book

Ghost towns

• Bidwell's Bar – now located under Lake Oroville
• Butte Creek
• Coutolenc
• Diamondville
• Forks of Butte – a former gold mining settlement
• Hamilton - Butte County's first permanent county seat, John Bidwell discovered gold at Hamilton in 1848, and the settlement arose. It was located on the west side of the Feather River, 15 mi downstream from Oroville.
• Lynchburg

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Butte County.

† county seat

In popular culture

Several movies have been filmed in Butte County, including Gone with the Wind, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Friendly Persuasion, Magic Town, The Klansman, Ruby Ridge: An American Tragedy, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Under Wraps. A 2013 episode of the television series Sons of Anarchy involves the sons coming into contact with corrupt police in the fictional town of Eden, located in Butte County.

Notes

;Notes

;References

References

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