akashic
1876–2024
Butte County, California
Butte County·California

Butte County votes the way the country votes.

A foothill county where Camp Fire displacement reshaped the electorate

18762024·38 elections
Butte County, California · California Department of Water Resources · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+3
in 2024
Archetype
Bellwether
since the recent cycles
Population
207,929
2024 ACS
Most similar
Gallatin County
MT · similarity 0.93
130 precincts · 94,523 votes cast
Trump · R+3
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−3.1%
44,22847,17994,523
2020D
+1.9%
50,81548,819102,565
2016R
−3.7%
41,56745,14497,002
2012R
−2.0%
42,66944,47991,021
2008D
+2.3%
49,01346,70698,707
2004R
−9.6%
42,44851,66296,157
2000R
−17.0%
31,33845,58483,721
1996R
−10.4%
30,65138,96179,550
1992D
+1.0%
32,48931,60885,014
1988R
−13.6%
30,40640,14371,631
1984R
−27.7%
25,42145,38171,964
1980R
−28.3%
19,52038,18866,012
1976R
−7.7%
24,20328,40054,854
1972R
−20.8%
18,40128,81950,028
1968R
−23.8%
12,88722,22539,211
1964D
+3.1%
20,83119,57440,419
1960R
−15.7%
15,16320,83836,175
1956R
−17.3%
12,93318,38231,462
1952R
−27.1%
10,49118,39029,133
1948R
−3.7%
10,13310,94822,181
1944D
+5.7%
8,8117,85216,768
1940D
+17.7%
10,6847,43318,372
1936D
+33.8%
10,4905,10315,928
1932D
+35.9%
9,6454,32214,832
1928R
−22.6%
3,9466,30610,432
1924R
−29.7%
1,2994,38210,372
1920R
−38.2%
2,2625,4098,234
1916D
+9.6%
4,8883,9569,669
1912D
+45.7%
4,02808,822
1908R
−16.2%
2,1463,0945,866
1904R
−25.8%
1,5742,7994,757
1900R
−7.0%
2,0112,3224,419
1896D
+1.0%
2,1202,0754,295
1892R
−0.8%
2,1412,1804,665
1888D
+0.5%
2,2152,1914,541
1884R
−1.2%
2,1182,1724,427
1880D
+0.5%
1,8321,8143,646
1876R
−0.9%
1,6341,6653,299
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
African American
1.4%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
11.6%
Catholic & Orthodox
10.7%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.3%
Mainline Protestant
1.9%
Baptist
1.3%
Methodist
0.7%
Non-Christian
0.5%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 71.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Butte County's 2018 Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise and displaced tens of thousands of residents, measurably shifting its population and voter composition in the cycles that followed. It has trended toward single-digit Republican margins in recent presidential contests.

The Democratic margin in Butte County has rarely exceeded forty-six points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded thirty-eight points. 2024 delivered the county to the Republican candidate by three points.

Butte County's demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most counties. A 70% non-Hispanic-white share, a 19% poverty rate, and a median household income of $67,928 — all within the broad national range. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Gallatin County and Park County.