King City and Chico receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
King City
Chico
Opportunity
34 · Bottom 10%
vs37 · Bottom 13%
Growth
59 · Top 35%
vs46 · Bottom 43%
Climate
89 · Top 8%
vs72 · Top 42%
Physical resilience
13 · Bottom 9%
vs22 · Bottom 17%
Housing affordability
46 · Bottom 8%
vs46 · Bottom 8%
Access
48 · Bottom 3%
vs53 · Bottom 5%
Economic stability
35 · Bottom 12%
vs47 · Bottom 26%
Measured values
| Metric | King City | Chico | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 13,604 | 102,188 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $66,761 | $66,977 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $19,413 | $38,830 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 3,583/sq mi | 2,973/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $449,900 | $468,100 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,534 | $1,488 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 42.1% | 43.4% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 5.1% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -1.0% | -2.2% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11.4% | 42.2% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 23.0% | 22.7% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 56 | 230 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 4.1 | 2.3 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | -24.3% | 48.4% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 85°F | 96°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 38°F | 40°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 11.8" | 25.7" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 88 mi | 74 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 30.0 min | 19.0 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 29.7 | 31.1 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 9 | 20 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 21.93 | 21.08 | 2024-25 school year |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility | 85.7% | 54.9% | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
King City
Elevated or high exposure: drought, earthquake, wildfire.
Chico
Elevated or high exposure: drought, wildfire, earthquake.
Full profiles: King City, CA · Chico, CA · How this is calculated: methodology