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COUNTY · 2010 ACS

Santa Barbara County

California · 423,895 residents · 2,734 sq mi
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The short version

With 423,895 people, Santa Barbara County is a county in California. The typical home is worth $576,500, having more than doubled since 2000. Owners hold 53% of the housing stock. 24% of people here were born outside the United States. This skews young, with a median age of 33.6. Renters pay $1,265 a month at the median.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $52,703
Younger
median age 33.6
US median: 37.2
More educated
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 72%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
423,895
+6%since 2000
from 399,347 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
33.6
+1%since 2000
from 33.4 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
2,734 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
362K385K409K433K456K19902000201020202024Santa Barbara County
2024444K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 56.5%(27,350)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 96.2%(26,303)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 146.3%(26,626)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 199%(38,009)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 2410.2%(43,026)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3413.6%(57,692)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4411.9%(50,478)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5413%(54,998)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6410.6%(45,015)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 746.3%(26,776)
US avg: 7%
75 to 844.4%(18,532)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over2.1%(9,090)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$60,078
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $46,677 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$29,731
+29%since 2000
from $23,059 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
39.2%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 38.5% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
14.3%
Unchangedsince 2000
from 14.3% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.475
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Information9.8%
US avg: 11.5%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing8.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Retail trade8%
US avg: 10.9%
Construction7.8%
US avg: 1.4%
Wholesale trade6.2%
US avg: 7.2%
Other services5.3%
US avg: 7%
Public administration2.9%
US avg: 4.9%
Finance & insurance2.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
US avg: 3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.1%
US avg: 2.4%
Professional, scientific, technical2.1%
US avg: 4.2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.4%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$576,500
+72%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $264,100 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,265
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $830 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
52.7%
−3.4 ptssince 2000
from 56.1% in 2000
47.3% rent
Vacancy rate
6.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.1% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.81 people
+3%since 2009
from 2.73 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
40.8%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 41.0% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
54.6%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 56.2% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
9.6
−8%since 2009
from 10.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
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%
2010
White, non-Hispanic47.9%(203,122)
Black1.7%(7,242)
Hispanic / Latino42.9%(181,687)
Asian4.6%(19,591)
Other2.7%(11,508)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican37.6%(156,247)
South American0.5%(2,111)
Salvadoran0.4%(1,556)
Guatemalan0.3%(1,423)
Puerto Rican0.3%(1,406)
Spaniard0.3%(1,276)
Peruvian0.1%(518)
Chilean0.1%(487)
Argentine0.1%(458)
Cuban0.1%(427)
Colombian0.1%(324)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Honduran0.1%(311)
Ecuadorian0%(161)
Nicaraguan0%(121)
Dominican0%(74)
Bolivian0%(17)
Ancestry
German12.1%(50,213)
Irish9.3%(38,755)
English9.1%(37,935)
Italian4.7%(19,606)
French2.9%(12,087)
American2.4%(10,185)
Scottish1.9%(8,026)
Swedish1.8%(7,329)
Scotch-Irish1.7%(7,268)
Polish1.7%(7,078)
Norwegian1.6%(6,575)
Russian1.4%(5,855)
+ 46 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch1.4%(5,763)
Danish1.1%(4,635)
Portuguese1.1%(4,510)
Welsh0.8%(3,424)
British0.6%(2,640)
Swiss0.6%(2,451)
Greek0.4%(1,872)
Hungarian0.4%(1,762)
Arab0.4%(1,720)
Canadian0.4%(1,629)
French Canadian0.4%(1,565)
Austrian0.3%(1,360)
Czech0.3%(1,358)
Ukrainian0.3%(1,223)
Iranian0.2%(1,002)
Finnish0.2%(755)
Croatian0.2%(674)
Lithuanian0.2%(639)
Belgian0.2%(637)
Armenian0.1%(552)
Lebanese0.1%(550)
West Indian0.1%(544)
Romanian0.1%(500)
Turkish0.1%(473)
Australian0.1%(438)
Slovak0.1%(419)
Jamaican0.1%(303)
Serbian0.1%(244)
Israeli0.1%(237)
Brazilian0.1%(234)
Latvian0%(180)
Egyptian0%(146)
Syrian0%(111)
Guyanese0%(111)
Ethiopian0%(93)
Bulgarian0%(82)
Moroccan0%(61)
Haitian0%(55)
Nigerian0%(53)
Slovene0%(36)
Kenyan0%(8)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
31.0%
+1.6 ptssince 2000
from 29.4% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
80.1%
+0.9 ptssince 2000
from 79.2% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
12.4%
+1.0 ptssince 2000
from 11.4% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.5 min
+45%since 2000
from 13.5 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
65.8%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 66.4% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
15.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 15.2% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
3.8%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
5.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
4.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.2% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
3.6%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 3.6% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
6.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 6.2% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
14.5%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 15.1% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
34.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 34.5% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.4% in 2009
Female
49.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
Foreign born
23.7%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 22.2% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
8.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
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
Drill deeper

Places similar to Santa Barbara County

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Pop 433,729
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Pop 455,376
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Pop 417,669
Richmond County
Pop 501,290
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Head to head

Compare Santa Barbara County to nearby counties

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY VS
Ventura County
Income$109,797+83%
Home value$822,700+43%
Population830,851+88%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY VS
San Luis Obispo County
Income$97,446+62%
Home value$824,700+43%
Population282,367−36%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY VS
Kern County
Income$70,210+17%
Home value$338,300−41%
Population927,068+110%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY VS
Los Angeles County
Income$90,112+50%
Home value$834,200+45%
Population9,694,934+2093%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Santa Barbara County, California?

Santa Barbara County, California has about 423,895 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Santa Barbara County, California?

The typical household in Santa Barbara County, California earns about $60,078 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Santa Barbara County, California expensive?

In Santa Barbara County, California, the median home is worth about $576,500, and the typical rent is about $1,265 a month.

How educated are people in Santa Barbara County, California?

About 31.0% of adults age 25 and over in Santa Barbara County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Santa Barbara County, California?

About 14.3% of people in Santa Barbara County, California live below the federal poverty line.

Has Santa Barbara County, California grown since 1990?

Yes, Santa Barbara County, California has grown since 1990. The population has added about 54,287 residents, a change of about 15 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →