Population
Chico
102,032
Santa Maria
109,880
Median Income
Chico
$67,929
Santa Maria
$84,617
Home Value
Chico
$455,300
Santa Maria
$478,200
Rent
Chico
$1,442
Santa Maria
$1,842
Crime Rate
Chico
7.01
Santa Maria
6.61
Cost of Living
Chico
132.8
Santa Maria
151.5
Avg Temp
Chico
N/A
Santa Maria
N/A
Unemployment
Chico
6.6%
Santa Maria
7.1%
How Similar Are Chico & Santa Maria?
Santa Maria is Chico's #16 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chico
102,032
Santa Maria
109,880
Both cities have similar populations — Chico at 102,032 and Santa Maria at 109,880.
Violent Crime
Chico
7.01
Santa Maria
6.61
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 6% difference.
Property Crime
Chico
18.98
Santa Maria
18.83
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 1% difference.
Political Leaning
Chico
49.9%
Santa Maria
35.1%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Chico has a stronger Democratic lean (30% difference).
Unemployment
Chico
6.6%
Santa Maria
7.1%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.
Median Income
Chico
$67,929
Santa Maria
$84,617
Santa Maria has a 20% higher median income than Chico.
Home Values
Chico
$455,300
Santa Maria
$478,200
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Chico
24.7%
Santa Maria
8.5%
Chico's education is significantly higher than Santa Maria's — 66% difference.
Demographics
Chico
72.3%
Santa Maria
37.0%
Chico has a 49% higher demographics than Santa Maria.
Cost of Living
Chico
132.8
Santa Maria
151.5
Santa Maria has a 12% higher cost of living than Chico.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Chico and Santa Maria share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Chico
0
Santa Maria
Chico leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Chico leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDChico has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,270 vs $2,746 in Santa Maria (54% lower). Chico has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,625 vs $3,124 in Santa Maria (48% lower). Chico scores 184.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 212.3 in Santa Maria.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Santa Maria leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Maria has a vacancy rate of 3.7% compared to 7.7% in Chico. Chico has a median rent of $1,442 vs $1,842 in Santa Maria (22% lower). Santa Maria has a single-family homes of 66.0% compared to 55.8% in Chico.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Chico leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChico has a work from home of 12.2% compared to 5.3% in Santa Maria. Chico has a per capita income of $38,201 vs $26,772 in Santa Maria (43% higher). Santa Maria has a poverty rate of 15.5% compared to 22.1% in Chico.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRChico has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.82 compared to 1.74 in Santa Maria. Chico has a property crime clearance of 14.6% compared to 10.6% in Santa Maria. Chico has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.08 compared to 3.13 in Santa Maria.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Chico leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauChico has a bachelor's degree or higher of 24.7% compared to 8.5% in Santa Maria. Chico has a high school diploma or higher of 34.3% compared to 20.6% in Santa Maria.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Maria has a population of 109,880, about 1.1x the size of Chico (102,032). Santa Maria skews younger with a median age of 29.3 vs 31.0.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chico
Santa Maria
Healthcare — Santa Maria leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanta Maria: 2.8 vs Chico: 2.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChico has a bicycle of 2.3% compared to 0.3% in Santa Maria. Chico has a work from home of 12.2% compared to 5.3% in Santa Maria. Santa Maria has a public transit of 1.6% compared to 0.8% in Chico.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Chico, CA
Compare Chico against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.