Most of Chico is in Butte County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $33.12 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 5 ZIP codes in Chico with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,060 to $1,200 a month. At the middle rent, $1,090, a full-time job would need to pay $34.34 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95926 | Butte County | $1,090/mo | $34.34/hr |
| 95927 | Butte County | $1,060/mo | $33.29/hr |
| 95928 | Butte County | $1,110/mo | $35.12/hr |
| 95929 | Butte County | $1,060/mo | $33.29/hr |
| 95973 | Butte County | $1,200/mo | $38.79/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Chico needs to pay at least $33.12 an hour before taxes, about $68,893 a year. That is the figure for Butte County, where the typical studio rent is $1,055 a month.
Yes. Across the 5 ZIP codes in Chico with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,060 to $1,200 a month. At the middle rent of $1,090, the pay needed would be $34.34 an hour.
The minimum wage in Butte County is $16.90 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 2.0 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads