Chico one of the fastest growing cities in state

Bear Hole in Upper Bidwell Park offers a way to beat Chico’s summer heat. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

While much has been written about California declining in population, that’s not true of every town. In fact, Chico is one city in the state that keeps growing.

The San Francisco Chronicle analyzed data from the California Department of Finance from 2010-25. The state as a whole actually grew during that time period by 6.4 percent. Seven cities had population spikes of at least 20,000 people, amounting to a 25 percent or more overall increase. All seven now also have populations of at least 75,000 people.

“Since 2010, Chico has grown from about 86,000 residents to just over 108,000 in 2026—a 25 percent increase. The city also added 2,306 homes, apartments and condos in the last 10 years by annexing nearby land,” the Chronicle reports.

Dublin in the Bay Area had the largest growth spurt—63 percent. The other cities in the study included Irvine (50 percent population increase), Menifee (49 percent), Manteca (42 percent), Roseville (36 percent) and Clovis (35 percent).

I’ve always thought of Chico as a small town—probably because I first started visiting the city in 1974 when my oldest sister enrolled at Chico State. It’s also because the downtown and surrounding university still give it that small town feel.

But with more than 100,000 people, it’s not so small anymore.

Reasons vary for the growth in these seven cities. For Chico, it has a lot to do with the 2018 Camp Fire that reduced much of the town of Paradise to ashes. Overnight the population grew by about 20,000 people.

The Chronicle reports how Chico’s housing market was already under pressure, along with 20 percent of the population living in poverty before the fire.

“Today, rental vacancy rates remain dismal, around 1 to 2 percent, compared with a statewide average of about 4 percent, according to Taylor Bunch, executive director of True North Housing Alliance, a homeless services nonprofit. Chico’s median income is just under $67,000—less than 60 percent of the statewide average. Its population is about 66 percent non-Hispanic white, about 50 percent higher than the state overall,” the Chronicle reports.

The Chronicle didn’t delve into all the reasons people move to Chico. Let me share: It’s not the Bay Area for starters. Like I said above, it still has a sense of being a small town. Bidwell Park is an outdoor playground. And as the Chron noted, it’s three times the size of Golden Gate Park. The university is a big draw not just for students, but for locals wanting to take classes and attend events/performances. Plenty of beer is to be had—not just at Sierra Nevada. Chico is called the City of Trees, which is ideal for when shade is desired in the hot summer months. It would be hard to not find something to do in Chico on any given day/night. While housing prices are going up, they aren’t what you’ll find in other parts of the state.