Butte County vs Imperial County
A side-by-side comparison of Butte County and Imperial County: population, income, housing, and more.
Butte County and Imperial County are counties in California. This page compares them across population, income, housing, education, commuting, and how each has changed since 2019.
Butte County has the higher population (209,470 vs 179,319 in Imperial County). Butte County has the higher median household income ($68,574 vs $56,393 in Imperial County). Butte County has the higher median home value ($408,700 vs $279,500 in Imperial County).
Population, income & housing
| Butte County | Imperial County | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 209,470 | 179,319 |
| Median age | 36.3 yrs | 33.0 yrs |
| Median household income | $68,574 | $56,393 |
| Median home value | $408,700 | $279,500 |
| Median gross rent | $1,369 | $1,012 |
| Housing units | 91,176 | 57,511 |
| Homeownership rate | 58.3% | 56.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.7% | 16.1% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.1% | 12.6% |
Trends (ACS 5-year, 2019–2023)
| Butte County | Imperial County | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 225,817 → 209,470 (-7.2%) | 180,701 → 179,319 (-0.8%) |
| Median household income | $52,537 → $68,574 (+30.5%) | $47,622 → $56,393 (+18.4%) |
| Median home value | $271,700 → $408,700 (+50.4%) | $195,800 → $279,500 (+42.7%) |
| Median gross rent | $1,060 → $1,369 (+29.2%) | $830 → $1,012 (+21.9%) |
Butte County
225,817209,470
$52,537$68,574
$271,700$408,700
$1,060$1,369
Imperial County
180,701179,319
$47,622$56,393
$195,800$279,500
$830$1,012
Age & race/ethnicity
Age distribution (share)
| Butte County | Imperial County | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 5.3% | 7.2% |
| 5 to 17 | 15.2% | 21.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.5% | 9.8% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.1% | 14.6% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.8% | 12.6% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 10.9% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.0% | 7.8% |
| 75 and over | 7.2% | 5.6% |
Race & ethnicity (share)
| Butte County | Imperial County | |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 66.6% | 9.4% |
| Black or African American | 1.7% | 2.2% |
| American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| Asian | 5.3% | 1.3% |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| Two or more races | 5.4% | 0.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 19.5% | 85.6% |
Educational attainment (age 25+)
Share of adults 25+
| Butte County | Imperial County | |
|---|---|---|
| No high school diploma | 9.7% | 28.2% |
| High school graduate | 22.3% | 25.9% |
| Some college or associate's | 36.3% | 29.9% |
| Bachelor's degree | 20.7% | 11.5% |
| Graduate or professional degree | 11.0% | 4.6% |
Commute to work
How workers get to work (share)
| Butte County | Imperial County | |
|---|---|---|
| Drove alone | 72.6% | 78.6% |
| Carpooled | 9.7% | 9.6% |
| Public transit | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| Walked | 2.9% | 2.8% |
| Bicycle | 1.3% | 0.3% |
| Worked from home | 11.3% | 6.5% |
| Other means | 1.5% | 1.9% |
Housing
Units in structure (share)
| Butte County | Imperial County | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-unit, detached | 61.4% | 62.3% |
| 1-unit, attached | 3.1% | 2.5% |
| 2 to 4 units | 9.4% | 10.1% |
| 5 to 19 units | 8.9% | 11.2% |
| 20 or more units | 6.2% | 4.3% |
| Mobile home & other | 11.0% | 9.5% |
Poverty & households
| Butte County | Imperial County | |
|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 18.3% | 19.6% |
| Average household size | 2.47 | 3.51 |
| Mean commute (minutes) | 21 | 22 |
| Median year structure built | 1980 | 1988 |
Full profiles
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