Burney was named after Samuel Burney, a settler in the area in the 1850s. Burney was found dead in the valley in 1857, which came to be called "the valley where Burney died," and finally just "Burney".
The town of Burney sits at the base of an extinct volcano called Burney Mountain. The peak is 7,863 ft tall (2,397 m).
At the 2010 census Burney had a population of 3,154. The population density was 606.5 inhabitants per square mile (234.2/km2). The racial makeup of Burney was 2,685 (85.1%) White, 13 (0.4%) African American, 233 (7.4%) Native American, 7 (0.2%) Asian, 2 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 61 (1.9%) from other races, and 153 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 265 people (8.4%).[19]
The census reported that 3,035 people (96.2% of the population) lived in households, 119 (3.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.
There were 1,262 households, 371 (29.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 638 (50.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 155 (12.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 70 (5.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 74 (5.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 5 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 344 households (27.3%) were one person and 150 (11.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.40. There were 863 families (68.4% of households); the average family size was 2.87.
The age distribution was 751 people (23.8%) under the age of 18, 240 people (7.6%) aged 18 to 24, 681 people (21.6%) aged 25 to 44, 949 people (30.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 533 people (16.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 42.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
There were 1,446 housing units at an average density of 278.0 per square mile, of the occupied units 797 (63.2%) were owner-occupied and 465 (36.8%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%. 1,833 people (58.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,202 people (38.1%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
At the 2000 census there were 3,217 people, 1,311 households, and 912 families in the CDP. The population density was 622.4 inhabitants per square mile (240.3/km2). There were 1,420 housing units at an average density of 274.7 per square mile (106.1/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.97% White, 0.09% African American, 6.87% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.14% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.97%.[20]
Of the 1,311 households 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.2% of households were one person and 13.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96.
The age distribution was 27.7% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.
The median household income was $30,510 and the median family income was $37,682. Males had a median income of $42,314 versus $25,139 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,060. About 14.8% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Jonathan Schmierer, Burney High School graduate, appeared on The Price Is Right during one of Bob Barker's final showings. He lost a game of Tic-Tac-Toe for a trip to the Ramada Inn in Ireland.[25][26]
