Santa Barbara, CA

Census Place

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2023 Population

88,024

0.695% 1-year decline

US Senator

N/AAlex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

N/AAdam Schiff

Democratic Party

2023 Median Age

39.4

0.505% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

13.1%

0.512% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$101,672

3.38% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$1.47M

8.88% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

46,203

1.28% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Santa Barbara, CA had a population of 88k people with a median age of 39.4 and a median household income of $101,672. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Santa Barbara, CA declined from 88,640 to 88,024, a −0.695% decrease and its median household income grew from $98,346 to $101,672, a 3.38% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Santa Barbara, CA are White (Non-Hispanic) (53.4%), Two+ (Hispanic) (13%), Other (Hispanic) (12.6%), White (Hispanic) (9.86%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (3.66%).

None of the households in Santa Barbara, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

87.7% of the residents in Santa Barbara, CA are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Santa Barbara, CA was $1.47M, and the homeownership rate was 39.8%.

Most people in Santa Barbara, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Santa Barbara, CA was 2 cars per household.

United States California Santa Barbara County, CA Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara County--South Coast Region PUMA, CA

Population & Diversity

Santa Barbara, CA is home to a population of 88k people, from which 87.7% are citizens. As of 2023, 20.4% of Santa Barbara, CA residents were born outside of the country (18k people).

In 2023, there were 4.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (47k people) in Santa Barbara, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 11.5k Two+ (Hispanic) and 11.1k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

87.7%

2023 Citizenship

87.2%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 87.7% of Santa Barbara, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Santa Barbara, CA was 87.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Santa Barbara, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Santa Barbara, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
47k ± 1.34k
Two+ (Hispanic)
11.5k ± 1.68k
Other (Hispanic)
11.1k ± 1.14k

36.8%

Hispanic Population

32.4k people

36.8% of the people in Santa Barbara, CA are hispanic (32.4k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Santa Barbara, CA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for California.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,899,021 ± 46,015 people
Philippines
824,230 ± 22,055 people
China
685,370 ± 20,148 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,899,021 California residents, followed by Philippines with 824,230 and China with 685,370.

Foreign-Born Population

20.4%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

18k people

21.1%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

18.7k people

As of 2023, 20.4% of Santa Barbara, CA residents (18k people) were born outside of the United States, which is higher than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Santa Barbara, CA was 21.1%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Santa Barbara, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,124 ± 220
Gulf War (2001-)
443 ± 195
Korea
244 ± 96

Santa Barbara, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.54 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Santa Barbara, CA employs 46.2k people. The largest industries in Santa Barbara, CA are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (6,240 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (5,691 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (5,588 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($116,364), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($105,987), and Information ($105,104).

Males in California have an average income that is 1.26 times higher than the average income of females, which is $75,777. The income inequality in California (measured using the Gini index) is 0.498, which is higher than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

46.2k

2023 Value

± 1,846

−1.28%

1 Year decline

± 5.72%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Santa Barbara, CA declined at a rate of −1.28%, from 46.8k employees to 46.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Santa Barbara, CA, are Management Occupations (7,180 people), Sales & Related Occupations (4,286 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,834 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Santa Barbara, CA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in California (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

46.2k

2023 Value

± 1,846

−1.28%

1 Year decline

± 5.72%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Santa Barbara, CA declined at a rate of −1.28%, from 46.8k employees to 46.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Santa Barbara, CA, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (6,240 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (5,691 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (5,588 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Santa Barbara, CA, though some of these residents may live in Santa Barbara, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$58,773

Median earning men ± $4,466

$48,823

Median earning women ± $2,231

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Public Administration ($130,769), Information ($124,531), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($101,375).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($84,012), Manufacturing ($75,721), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($70,379).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Y-Axis

2.57%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 17.9M people employed in California. This represents a 2.57% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in California.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing the state of California. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

California is currently represented by 52 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

2024 Election Results

N/AKamala Harris (58.5%)
Democratic Party
N/ADonald J. Trump (38.3%)
Republican Party
N/ARobert Kennedy (1.25%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in California for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from California

N/AAlex Padilla

Senator from California

Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Kamala Harris, who had become Vice President of the United States.

N/AAdam Schiff

Senator from California

Assumed office on December 8, 2024
Elected to the seat to succeed Laphonza Butler, who had been appointed to the seat following the death of Dianne Feinstein.

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing California.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in California over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from California

California is currently represented by 52 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for California have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Most students graduating from Universities in Santa Barbara, CA are White (1,886 and 45.7%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (1,454 and 35.2%), Two or More Races (275 and 6.67%), and Asian (190 and 4.6%).

The median tuition cost in N/A for private four year colleges is $19,260.

Completions

Student Diversity

In 2023, 1,433 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Santa Barbara, CA, which is 0.497 times less than the 2,885 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,886 degrees mean that there were 1.3 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 1,454 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Measure

In 2022, 2.08% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 2.26% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were Some college (6.9M), High School or Equivalent (6.8M), and Bachelors Degree (6.36M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Santa Barbara, CA was $1.47M in 2023, which is 4.83 times larger than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $1.35M to $1.47M, a 8.88% increase. The homeownership rate in Santa Barbara, CA is 39.8%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Santa Barbara, CA have an average commute time of 17.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Santa Barbara, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Santa Barbara, CA is $101,672. In 2023, the place with the highest median household income in Santa Barbara, CA was Census Tract 1.03 with a value of $250,001, followed by Census Tract 6 and Census Tract 30.07, with respective values of $164,803 and $156,875.

Housing

Property

$1.47M

Median Property Value 2023

±$62,557

$14,566

Median Property Taxes

±$851

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Santa Barbara, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Santa Barbara, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

39.8%

Homeownership

2023

71.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 39.8% of the housing units in Santa Barbara, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 40.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Santa Barbara, CA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 1.03
Census Tract 6
Census Tract 30.07

In 2023, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Santa Barbara, CA was Census Tract 1.03 with a value of $250,001, followed by Census Tract 6 and Census Tract 30.07, with respective values of $164,803 and $156,875.

The following map shows all of the places in Santa Barbara, CA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$101,672

Median Household Income

± $4,924

36.6k

Number of Households

± 1,509

In 2023, the median household income of the 36.6k households in Santa Barbara, CA grew to $101,672 from the previous year's value of $98,346.

The following chart displays the households in Santa Barbara, CA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Santa Barbara, CA is from California.

0.498

2022 Wage GINI in California

0.497

2021 Wage GINI in California

In 2022, the income inequality in California was 0.498 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.107% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in California in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in California across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (61.3%)
Worked At Home (17%)
Carpooled (9.72%)

In 2023, 61.3% of workers in Santa Barbara, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17%) and those who carpooled to work (9.72%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

17.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Santa Barbara, CA have a shorter commute time (17.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.37% of the workforce in Santa Barbara, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Santa Barbara, CA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Santa Barbara, CA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Santa Barbara, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Santa Barbara, CA (11.4k out of 87.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Santa Barbara, CA is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

90.6% of the population of Santa Barbara, CA has health coverage, with 44% on employee plans, 18.2% on Medicaid, 14.6% on Medicare, 13.2% on non-group plans, and 0.562% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Santa Barbara County, CA see 1316 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.0759% decrease from the previous year (1317 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1133 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 163 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Santa Barbara County, CA.

1,316 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Santa Barbara County, CA

Primary care physicians in Santa Barbara County, CA see an average of 1,316 patients per year. This represents a 0.0759% decrease from the previous year (1,317 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Santa Barbara County, CA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.8% under 18 years, 26.2% between 18 and 34 years, 35.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.9% were men and 52.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.38%

Uninsured

44%

Employer Coverage

18.2%

Medicaid

14.6%

Medicare

13.2%

Non-Group

0.562%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Santa Barbara, CA declined by 7.28% from 10.1% to 9.38%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Santa Barbara, CA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Keep Exploring

California

State

Santa Barbara County, CA

County

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

MSA

United States

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