Butte County, California Housing Market Prices
Butte County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
-
Median home price 44% below the California median Cheaper than 70% of counties in California$363,369
-
Median rent 31% below the California median$1,414
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Butte County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $363,369 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | 7.2% | 8.9% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $1,414 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 5.3% | 5.8% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Butte County is about 44% lower than in California. Rent is about 31% lower than the California average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Both home prices and rent are rising in Butte County, up about 7.2% and 5.3% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
Median rent in Butte County rose about 56.2% between 2015 and 2024, from $905 to $1,414. Over the same span, rent in California rose about 62.2%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 5.3 yearly household incomes in Butte County.
Buying the median-priced home in Butte County costs roughly 21.4 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Butte County. The price-to-rent ratio in California is about 26.6.
| Metric | Butte County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $363,369 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $68,302 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 5.3 | 6.6 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in Butte County rose about 116.2%, while median household income rose about 52.4% between 2009 and 2025 — the home price grew faster than income.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Butte County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 51.4% | 51.7% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 38.4% | 40.8% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 10.2% | 7.5% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 13.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2013 | 2011 | 2011 |
Butte County has a homeownership rate of 51.4%, about the same as the California average of 51.7%. Its housing vacancy rate is 10.2%, compared with 7.5% in California.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Butte County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.42 people | 2.84 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1979 | 1975 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Butte County was built around 1979. On average, 2.4 people live in a home with about 5.1 rooms, staying for about 13.0 years on average.
Butte County, CA Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
Butte County, CA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 207,907 residents against a local median of 65,167. Where Butte County, CA breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 21% above the local median of $299,499 at $363,369.
Median rent tells the same story from another angle: $1,414 against a local median of $1,184, 19% above it. The counties themselves spread $244,467 on median home price, so Butte County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Butte County, CA has the 3rd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte County, CA | 207,907 | $363,369 #3/6 | $1,414 #2/6 | 57.3% #6/6 |
| Yuba County, CA | 84,507 | $299,499 | $1,310 | 63.5% |
| Sutter County, CA | 98,856 | $440,110 | $1,439 | 61.3% |
| Tehama County, CA | 65,167 | $233,391 | $1,184 | 67.1% |
| Glenn County, CA | 28,492 | $376,190 | $1,119 | 61.2% |
| Colusa County, CA | 21,984 | $195,643 | $1,157 | 62.2% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Butte County, California.
What is the median home price in Butte County, California?
The median home price in Butte County, California is $363,369, lower than the California average of $650,794.
What is the average home price in Butte County, California?
The typical home price in Butte County, California, reported as the median sale price, is $363,369. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Butte County, California?
The median gross rent in Butte County, California is $1,414 per month, lower than the California average of $2,036.
What was the median gross rent in Butte County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Butte County, California was $1,086 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Butte County, California?
The price-to-rent ratio in Butte County, California is about 21.4, meaning it would take roughly 21.4 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Butte County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Butte County, California?
Both home prices and rent are rising in Butte County, up about 7.2% and 5.3% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
What is the homeownership rate in Butte County, California?
51.4% of households in Butte County, California own their home, about the same as the California average.
What is the vacancy rate in Butte County, California?
The housing vacancy rate in Butte County, California is 10.2%, higher than the California average of 7.5%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →