2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Chico, CA vs Santa Maria, CA

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Santa Maria, is 21% more than it is in Chico and is 6% above the National Average.
- Chico unemployment rate is 5.6%.
- Santa Maria unemployment rate is 11.6%.
 Chico, CASanta Maria, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock11.6%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.8%1.6%
 Future Job Growth36.6%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$33,517  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$73,300$69,021
 Family Median Income$79,903  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Chico, CASanta Maria, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock6.5%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.3%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock6.7%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.8%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.1%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.2%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock10.2%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K12.3%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock18.2%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K6.7%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock5.4%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Chico, CASanta Maria, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance14.0%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock3.5%6.5%
 Community, social services2.5%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.4%1.2%
 Education, library9.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.4%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock5.1%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.2%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock4.4%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.0%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support23.7%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock20.7%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair5.1%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock13.9%13.1%
Reviews for Chico    31 Reviews

Chico is imperfect like most places, but it's still good. Any and all of it's issues proceed from it's main fault of growing increasingly liberal, which is to be  More

   |    Reply

Uuwuu · 
Over 3 years ago

Chico's decent. I've been living here for ~5 years now. Eveen though my brother loves Chico and would like to stay, I would like to leave. I have no issues with crime or  More

   |    Reply

I was born in Oroville and I grew up in Oroville and Biggs. I have heard all my life about crime in chico. Well I have lived in Chico near Chapman for almost 10 years  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Chico

Reviews for Santa Maria    12 Reviews

Over 6 years ago

I live in Orcutt which is a town of around 35,000 on the south side of Santa Maria. Santa Maria has, as everyone has noted, the best climate in the world. It never  More

   |    Reply

I have lived in Santa Maria / Orcutt for several years, but it is time to leave. I have no issues with the weather. Our climate is mild and comfortable with no extremes.  More

   |    Reply

The weather is very mild without a huge temperature change with the seasons. The winters are chilly but not cold and the summers are warm but not hot. Of course there  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Santa Maria


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.