Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population
443,701
US Senator
Alex Padilla
Democratic Party
US Senator
Adam Schiff
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
34.6
0.29% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
14.7%
7.03% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$98,161
2.28% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$790,700
7.48% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
205,874
0.533% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Santa Maria-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.

86.7% of the residents in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA are University of California-Santa Barbara (8,030 degrees awarded in 2023), Santa Barbara City College (3,744 degrees), and Allan Hancock College (2,984 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA was $790,700, and the homeownership rate was 52.4%.

Most people in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: Santa Barbara, CA
Photo by Michael Theis
United StatesCalifornia

Population & Diversity

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA is home to a population of 444k people, from which 86.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 22.2% of Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA residents were born outside of the country (98.4k people).

In 2024, there were 1.84 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (180k people) in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 97.9k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 65.3k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

86.7%
2024 Citizenship
86.6%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 86.7% of Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA was 86.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    180k ± 602
  2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    97.9k ± 4.12k
  3. Other (Hispanic)
    65.3k ± 3.35k
48.2%
Hispanic Population
214k people

In 2024, there were 1.84 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (180k people) in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 97.9k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 65.3k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

48.2% of the people in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA are hispanic (214k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for California.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    3,862,617 ± 45,816 people
  2. Philippines
    824,246 ± 22,054 people
  3. China
    687,951 ± 20,184 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,862,617 California residents, followed by Philippines with 824,246 and China with 687,951.

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Foreign-Born Population

22.2%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
98.4k people
22.1%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
98.1k people

As of 2024, 22.2% of Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA residents (98.4k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA was 22.1%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    6,072 ± 509
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    3,160 ± 464
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    1,941 ± 316

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.92 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA.

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Economy

The economy of Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA employs 206k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA were Health Care & Social Assistance (25,487 people), Educational Services (23,740 people), and Retail Trade (19,353 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($110,976), Utilities ($105,268), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($99,317).

Employment

Occupations

206k
2024 Value
± 3,737
−0.533%
1 Year decline
± 2.57%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA declined at a rate of −0.533%, from 207k employees to 206k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, are Management Occupations (23,148 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (18,099 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (16,774 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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

206k
2024 Value
± 3,737
−0.533%
1 Year decline
± 2.57%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA declined at a rate of −0.533%, from 207k employees to 206k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (25,487 people), Educational Services (23,740 people), and Retail Trade (19,353 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, though some of these residents may live in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$52,265
Median earning men ± $1,319
$38,301
Median earning women ± $1,248

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($100,007), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($93,283), and Information ($86,614).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($68,986), Public Administration ($67,380), and Construction ($62,746).

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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.

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 1,089
    Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
  2. 779
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  3. 749
    Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $1.59M
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  2. $1.31M
    Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
  3. $1.06M
    Manufacturing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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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

Voting results are not available for Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA. Showing the available data for California.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (58.5%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (38.3%)
    Republican Party
  3. Robert 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.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from California

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for California.
Alex Padilla
Senator from California3
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.
Adam Schiff
Senator from California1
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.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA awarded 16,192 degrees. The student population of Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 23,587 male students and 30,201 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA are Hispanic or Latino (5,572 and 37.8%), White (5,519 and 37.4%), Asian (1,643 and 11.1%), and Two or More Races (1,093 and 7.41%).

The largest universities in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA by number of degrees awarded are University of California-Santa Barbara (8,030 and 49.6%), Santa Barbara City College (3,744 and 23.1%), and Allan Hancock College (2,984 and 18.4%).

The most popular majors in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (2,724 and 16.8%), Sociology (829 and 5.12%), and Econometrics & Quantitative Economics (718 and 4.43%).

The median tuition costs in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA are $34,905 for private four year colleges, and $11,834 and $42,611 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 28.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 16.5%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 53,788 (43.9% men and 56.1% women).

The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 53,788 students enrolled in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, 43.9% men and 56.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 19,730 records, of which 59.6% were women and 40.4% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Communication
    620 degrees awarded
  2. Sociology
    711 degrees awarded
  3. Econometrics & Quantitative Economics
    696 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA was General Communication with 620 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. University of California-Santa Barbara
    8,030 degrees awarded
  2. Santa Barbara City College
    3,744 degrees awarded
  3. Allan Hancock College
    2,984 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of California-Santa Barbara with 8,030 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 6,551 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, which is 0.679 times less than the 9,641 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 5,572 degrees mean that there were 1.01 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 5,519 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($34,905) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,131) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,600) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA was $790,700 in 2024, which is 2.38 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $735,700 to $790,700, a 7.48% increase. The homeownership rate in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA is 52.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA have an average commute time of 20.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$790,700
Median Property Value 2024
±$17,571
$78,344
Median Property Taxes
±$1,875

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 Maria-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 Maria-Santa Barbara, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

52.4%
Homeownership
2024
69%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 52.4% of the housing units in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 52.9%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$98,161
Median Household Income
± $2,430
150k
Number of Households
± 3,003

In 2024, the median household income of the 150k households in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA grew to $98,161 from the previous year's value of $95,977.

The following chart displays the households in Santa Maria-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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA is from California.
0.495
2023 Wage GINI in California
0.498
2022 Wage GINI in California

In 2023, the income inequality in California was 0.495 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.573% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (64.7%)
  2. Worked At Home (13.4%)
  3. Carpooled (11.7%)

In 2024, 64.7% of workers in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.4%) and those who carpooled to work (11.7%).

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.

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Commute Time

20.8 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA have a shorter commute time (20.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.51% of the workforce in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Santa Maria-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 Maria-Santa Barbara, CA have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (62.4k out of 423k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA is Hispanic, followed by White 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.

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Health

91.3% of the population of Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA has health coverage, with 40.6% on employee plans, 23.6% on Medicaid, 11.7% on Medicare, 14.1% on non-group plans, and 1.25% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in California see 1,233 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,233 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1076 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 213 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.
1,233 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in California

Primary care physicians in California see an average of 1,233 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,233 patients).

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

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Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.2% under 18 years, 25.4% between 18 and 34 years, 32.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

8.68%
Uninsured
40.6%
Employer Coverage
23.6%
Medicaid
11.7%
Medicare
14.1%
Non-Group
1.25%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA declined by 5.83% from 9.21% to 8.68%.

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

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