208,334 people (2024 Census estimate, −0.9% since 2020)
1,637 square miles of land · 127 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
42 active community water systems list Butte County in the area they serve, reporting 193,232 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CAL-WATER SERVICE CO.-CHICO groundwater · private · CA0410002 | 110,473 served |
| SOUTH FEATHER W&P - MINERS RANCH surface water · local government · CA0410006 | 22,638 served |
| THERMALITO WATER & SEWER DIST surface water · local government · CA0410008 | 12,209 served |
| CAL-WATER SERVICE CO.-OROVILLE surface water · private · CA0410005 | 11,047 served |
| DEL ORO WATER CO.-PARADISE PINES buys surface water · private · CA0410011 | 10,738 served |
| PARADISE IRRIGATION DISTRICT surface water · local government · CA0410007 | 9,114 served |
| CITY OF GRIDLEY groundwater · local government · CA0410004 | 7,269 served |
| CITY OF BIGGS groundwater · local government · CA0410001 | 2,060 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 546 people were held in Butte County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 516.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
13 school districts have their office in Butte County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $46.9 million — $41.9 million to run schools, about $17,877 per student, plus $1.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $17.7 million local (mostly property tax), $32.8 million state, $5.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $9 million.
Spent $39.4 million — $37.7 million to run schools, about $17,758 per student, plus $1.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $8.5 million local (mostly property tax), $34.4 million state, $10.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $3.7 million.
Spent $37.1 million — $33.2 million to run schools, about $16,292 per student, plus $2.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $9.2 million local (mostly property tax), $29.7 million state, $5.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $2.4 million.
Spent $87.4 million — $37 million to run schools, about $23,418 per student, plus $49 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $12.4 million local (mostly property tax), $22.3 million state, $8 million federal. Long-term debt: $20 million.
Spent $34.9 million — $29.2 million to run schools, about $19,171 per student, plus $4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $5.1 million local (mostly property tax), $29.8 million state, $8.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $5.4 million.
Spent $23.7 million — $21.8 million to run schools, about $18,415 per student, plus $637,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $3.8 million local (mostly property tax), $21.4 million state, $3.9 million federal.
Spent $16 million — $13.9 million to run schools, about $13,980 per student, plus $476,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $7.6 million local (mostly property tax), $9.2 million state, $990,000 federal. Long-term debt: $19.7 million.
Spent $9.8 million — $8.5 million to run schools, about $15,964 per student, plus $498,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $4.1 million local (mostly property tax), $6.3 million state, $2 million federal.
And 5 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Moderate compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Butte County about $127.2 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively High; social vulnerability: Relatively Moderate.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
440 bridges in Butte County: 138 in good condition, 278 fair, and 24 poor (5.5%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| SKYWAY over MAGALIA RESERVOIR SPILWY · built 1975 | 13,516 vehicles a day |
| SKYWAY RD EB over BUTTE CREEK · built 1978 | 12,054 vehicles a day |
| MANZANITA AVE over BIG CHICO CREEK · built 1974 | 12,000 vehicles a day |
| E 5TH AVE (CHICO) over LINDO CHANNEL · built 1970 | 7,848 vehicles a day |
| PENTZ ROAD over BERRY CANYON · built 1970 | 7,146 vehicles a day |
| HUMBOLDT ROAD over DEAD HORSE SLOUGH DIVRSN · built 1957 | 3,500 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $84.5 million of work in Butte County in fiscal 2025, about $400 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Ballots mailed; drop boxes open: 2026-10-05. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-19. Early in-person voting: 2026-10-24 to 2026-11-03. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-10.
Source: California Secretary of State — Nov. 3, 2026 key dates · California Official Voter Information Guide — dates to remember · California Secretary of State — make a plan to vote
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Butte County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Butte County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of California: the state government and every county in California.
Nearby counties: Yuba County (31 mi) · Glenn County (43 mi) · Sutter County (44 mi) · Tehama County (46 mi) · Plumas County (47 mi) · Colusa County (48 mi).