METRO AREA · 1990 CENSUS
Santa Maria Metro
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA · 1 counties · 369,608 residents · 2,733.941 sq mi
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The short version
Santa Maria is wealthier than most US places, with a median household income of $35,677. Population has declined 7% since 2000. Median home value is $249,200.
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
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024444K
Age distribution, 1990
Under 57.2%(26,598)
5 to 96.9%(25,442)
10 to 145.7%(21,037)
15 to 197.4%(27,441)
20 to 2410.2%(37,743)
25 to 3418.6%(68,633)
35 to 4414.5%(53,628)
45 to 549.5%(35,294)
55 to 647.8%(28,699)
65 to 747%(25,775)
75 to 843.9%(14,416)
85 and over1.3%(4,902)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$35,677
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $46,677 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Section 03
Housing
$249,200
+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $264,100 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
RELATED:See current rent listings in Santa Maria on RentDataNow
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)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
80.0%
+0.8 ptsvs 2000
vs 79.2% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
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
In this metro
Largest cities
Santa MariaCENTRAL111,390Santa BarbaraCENTRAL86,422Lompoc43,315Goleta32,401Orcutt31,454Eastern Goleta Valley28,295Isla Vista13,920Carpinteria12,734University of California-Santa Barbara12,121Montecito9,031Guadalupe8,846Vandenberg6,776Solvang5,944Buellton5,158Santa Ynez4,467Mission Hills3,859Vandenberg AFB3,477Mission Canyon2,357Toro Canyon1,477Summerland1,348Los Alamos1,163Los Olivos1,038Ballard863New Cuyama555Sisquoc158Casmalia55Garey28Cuyama21
What's inside
1 component county
Drill deeper
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA has about 369,608 residents according to the 1990 Census.
What is the median household income in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
The typical household in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA earns about $35,677 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA expensive?
In Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, the median home is worth about $249,200, and the typical rent is about $654 a month.
How educated are people in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
About 26.6% of adults age 25 and over in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
About 12.8% of people in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA live below the federal poverty line.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024