COUNTY · 1990 CENSUS

Santa Barbara County

California · 369,608 residents · 2,734 sq mi

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Santa Barbara County is home to 369,608 people in California. The typical home is worth $249,200. Owners hold 55% of the housing stock. Median rent is $654 a month. About 27% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Median household income runs $35,677, well clear of the $30,130 US median.

At a glance

Wealthier

above the US median

US median: $30,130

Mid-age

median age 31.8

US median: 33.0

More educated

27% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

Stable housing

home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

369,608

−7%vs 2000

vs 399,347 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

31.8

−5%vs 2000

vs 33.4 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

2,734 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

2024444K

Age distribution, 1990

Under 57.2%(26,598)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 96.9%(25,442)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 145.7%(21,037)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 197.4%(27,441)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 2410.2%(37,743)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3418.6%(68,633)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4414.5%(53,628)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 549.5%(35,294)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 647.8%(28,699)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 747%(25,775)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 843.9%(14,416)

US avg: 4%

85 and over1.3%(4,902)

US avg: 1.2%

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE

Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$35,677

+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $46,677 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$17,155

−26%vs 2000

vs $23,059 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

12.8%

−1.6 ptsvs 2000

vs 14.3% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$249,200

+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $264,100 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$654

+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $830 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

54.7%

−1.3 ptsvs 2000

vs 56.1% in 2000

45.3% rent

Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000

White, non-Hispanic56.9%(227,083)

Black2.1%(8,385)

Hispanic / Latino34.2%(136,668)

Asian3.9%(15,713)

Other0%

1990

White, non-Hispanic77.2%(285,411)

Black2.7%(10,162)

Hispanic / Latino26.3%(97,084)

Asian4.5%(16,554)

Other15.6%(57,481)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin

Mexican43.1%(191,409)

Central American1.8%(7,828)

South American0.9%(4,000)

Salvadoran0.9%(3,794)

Guatemalan0.6%(2,568)

Spaniard0.4%(1,776)

Puerto Rican0.4%(1,654)

Colombian0.3%(1,510)

Honduran0.2%(885)

Peruvian0.2%(749)

Venezuelan0.1%(559)

Cuban0.1%(557)

+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data

Chilean0.1%(443)

Nicaraguan0.1%(415)

Argentine0.1%(309)

Ecuadorian0.1%(226)

Dominican0%(143)

Bolivian0%(138)

Costa Rican0%(96)

Panamanian0%(30)

Uruguayan0%(6)

Asian origin

Filipino1.4%(6,280)

Chinese1.3%(5,780)

Vietnamese0.5%(2,383)

Korean0.5%(2,023)

Asian Indian0.4%(1,829)

Japanese0.4%(1,596)

Taiwanese0.1%(535)

Hmong0.1%(420)

Cambodian0.1%(370)

Thai0%(178)

Laotian0%(156)

Indonesian0%(99)

+ 10 more asian origin groups with data

Sri Lankan0%(99)

Burmese0%(49)

Pakistani0%(47)

Bangladeshi0%(39)

Uzbek0%(39)

Nepalese0%(34)

Kazakh0%(31)

Singaporean0%(10)

Mien0%(9)

Bhutanese0%(6)

Pacific Islander origin

Native Hawaiian0.2%(865)

Samoan0.1%(225)

Chamorro0.1%(225)

Tongan0%(40)

Fijian0%(7)

Ancestry

German8.7%(38,461)

English8.3%(36,654)

Irish7.2%(31,890)

Italian3.9%(17,246)

American2.3%(10,101)

Scottish1.7%(7,533)

French1.5%(6,486)

Polish1.3%(5,741)

Swedish1.2%(5,185)

Norwegian1%(4,638)

Dutch0.8%(3,488)

Portuguese0.7%(3,165)

+ 47 more ancestry groups with data

Russian0.7%(3,134)

Scotch-Irish0.6%(2,878)

British0.6%(2,818)

Danish0.6%(2,656)

Arab0.5%(2,144)

Welsh0.5%(2,089)

Swiss0.4%(1,906)

Iranian0.3%(1,497)

Ukrainian0.3%(1,456)

Subsaharan African0.3%(1,388)

Canadian0.3%(1,267)

Greek0.3%(1,252)

Hungarian0.3%(1,226)

Finnish0.2%(971)

French Canadian0.2%(933)

Austrian0.2%(886)

Czech0.2%(729)

Croatian0.2%(724)

Lithuanian0.1%(600)

Lebanese0.1%(534)

Syrian0.1%(526)

Armenian0.1%(496)

Turkish0.1%(364)

Slovene0.1%(358)

Romanian0.1%(339)

Australian0.1%(337)

Belgian0.1%(300)

Slovak0.1%(300)

West Indian0.1%(290)

Brazilian0.1%(285)

Israeli0.1%(270)

Egyptian0.1%(251)

Bulgarian0.1%(246)

Ethiopian0%(209)

Nigerian0%(194)

Moroccan0%(172)

Palestinian0%(137)

Serbian0%(133)

Jamaican0%(99)

Latvian0%(77)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(66)

Iraqi0%(65)

Haitian0%(52)

Macedonian0%(24)

Jordanian0%(22)

Ghanaian0%(5)

Somali0%(2)

RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest Italian population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

26.6%

−2.8 ptsvs 2000

vs 29.4% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

80.0%

+0.8 ptsvs 2000

vs 79.2% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

10.0%

−1.4 ptsvs 2000

vs 11.4% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

18.2 min

+35%vs 2000

vs 13.5 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

Men 15+

Never married44.1%(79,563)

Married47.4%(85,396)

Widowed1.8%(3,323)

Divorced6.7%(12,057)

Women 15+

Never married38.7%(70,133)

Married43.5%(78,864)

Widowed7.4%(13,329)

Divorced10.4%(18,898)

SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024

Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured

8.7%

−9.7 ptssince 2013

from 18.4% in 2013

US average: 8.4%

Employer-based

47.8%

−0.6 ptssince 2020

from 48.4% in 2020

US average: 54.8%

Direct-purchase

16.8%

−0.2 ptssince 2020

from 17.0% in 2020

US average: 13.8%

Medicare

17.2%

+1.1 ptssince 2020

from 16.1% in 2020

US average: 18.4%

Medicaid

27.6%

+3.1 ptssince 2020

from 24.5% in 2020

US average: 20.9%

VA health care

1.5%

Unchangedsince 2020

from 1.5% in 2020

US average: 2.2%

Any private

62.3%

−1.7 ptssince 2020

from 64.0% in 2020

US average: 67.1%

Any public

41.9%

+3.7 ptssince 2020

from 38.2% in 2020

US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024

Gulf War (2001 or later)20%(3,160)

US avg: 26.4%

Gulf War (1990s)17.8%(2,801)

US avg: 24.3%

Vietnam era39.6%(6,252)

US avg: 33.1%

Korean War7.1%(1,124)

US avg: 4.5%

World War II1.4%(221)

US avg: 1%

Share of the 15,770 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE

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