CensusEasy
METRO AREA · 2010 ACS

Santa Maria Metro

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA · 1 counties · 423,895 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 $60,078. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $576,500.

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
Population density
155 / sq mi
+6%since 2000
from 146 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
33.6
+1%since 2000
from 33.4 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Population, 1990 – 2024
362K385K409K433K456K1990201020202024Santa Maria
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
37.9%
−18.2 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%
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
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
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%
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)
RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest English population · Largest Italian population
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%
−28.4 ptssince 2009
from 63.1% 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%
−41.1 ptssince 2009
from 50.0% 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
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

Santa Barbara CountyCENTRAL442,065
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Santa Maria

Salinas
Pop 433,729
Vallejo
Pop 455,376
Manchester
Pop 433,415
Anchorage
Pop 405,821
Places similar to Santa Maria
Head to head

Compare Santa Maria side by side

SANTA MARIA VS
Salinas
Income$97,230+62%
Home value$781,000+35%
Population433,729−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA MARIA VS
Vallejo
Income$100,401+67%
Home value$617,700+7%
Population455,376+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA MARIA VS
Manchester
Income$103,545+72%
Home value$421,100−27%
Population433,415−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SANTA MARIA VS
Anchorage
Income$100,683+68%
Home value$382,042−34%
Population405,821−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA has about 423,895 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?

The typical household in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA earns about $60,078 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 $576,500, and the typical rent is about $1,265 a month.

How educated are people in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?

About 31.0% 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 14.3% of people in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA live below the federal poverty line.

Has Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA grown since 1990?

Yes, Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 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 · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →