METRO AREA · 2020 ACS
Santa Maria Metro
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA · 1 counties · 448,229 residents · 2,734 sq mi
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The short version
With 448,229 people, Santa Maria is a metro area. The typical home is worth $610,300, having more than doubled since 2000. Owners hold 52% of the housing stock. Renters pay $1,697 a month at the median. 23% of residents were born outside the United States. This skews young, with a median age of 35.7.
At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 35.7
US median: 38.8
Average education
35% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 54%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01
Population & growth
Land area
2,734 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024444K
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.5%(24,738)
5 to 96%(26,749)
10 to 146.4%(28,878)
15 to 197.8%(34,980)
20 to 249.4%(42,246)
25 to 3413.9%(62,275)
35 to 4411.9%(53,234)
45 to 5410.7%(48,162)
55 to 6411.7%(52,266)
65 to 749.3%(41,811)
75 to 844.9%(21,991)
85 and over2.4%(10,899)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$78,925
+13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $46,677 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
52.2%
+13.6 ptssince 2009
from 38.5% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information9.6%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing8.6%
Construction8.4%
Retail trade7.1%
Wholesale trade5.9%
Other services4.6%
Finance & insurance3.1%
Professional, scientific, technical2.8%
Public administration2.4%
Transportation & warehousing1.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
Education & health services0.4%
Manufacturing0.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$610,300
+54%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $264,100 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
7.7
−26%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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic41.2%(184,746)
Black1.4%(6,467)
Hispanic / Latino47%(210,584)
Asian5.7%(25,378)
Other3.3%(14,770)
43
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican41.3%(183,845)
Central American1.4%(6,242)
South American0.9%(4,015)
Guatemalan0.6%(2,731)
Salvadoran0.5%(2,369)
Puerto Rican0.4%(1,916)
Spaniard0.4%(1,697)
Colombian0.3%(1,458)
Cuban0.1%(667)
Argentine0.1%(664)
Peruvian0.1%(644)
Honduran0.1%(601)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Venezuelan0.1%(405)
Chilean0.1%(396)
Nicaraguan0.1%(295)
Ecuadorian0%(203)
Costa Rican0%(166)
Bolivian0%(165)
Dominican0%(60)
Panamanian0%(60)
Paraguayan0%(52)
Uruguayan0%(28)
Asian origin
Filipino1.6%(6,936)
Chinese1.5%(6,828)
Asian Indian0.5%(2,110)
Vietnamese0.5%(2,037)
Korean0.4%(1,982)
Japanese0.4%(1,939)
Taiwanese0.1%(414)
Thai0.1%(279)
Cambodian0.1%(268)
Hmong0.1%(263)
Indonesian0%(173)
Laotian0%(154)
+ 5 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.3%(1,228)
Samoan0.1%(392)
Chamorro0.1%(231)
Tongan0%(56)
Fijian0%(12)
Ancestry
German8.9%(39,634)
English7.6%(33,631)
Irish7.5%(33,224)
Italian4.1%(18,337)
American2.3%(10,335)
French2.2%(9,722)
Scottish1.8%(8,035)
Swedish1.5%(6,519)
Polish1.4%(6,323)
Norwegian1.4%(6,186)
British1%(4,305)
Dutch0.9%(3,926)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Russian0.9%(3,863)
Danish0.9%(3,844)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(3,524)
Portuguese0.8%(3,523)
Welsh0.6%(2,512)
Swiss0.5%(2,264)
Subsaharan African0.5%(2,034)
Greek0.3%(1,546)
Hungarian0.3%(1,527)
Canadian0.3%(1,287)
Ukrainian0.3%(1,274)
Iranian0.3%(1,267)
Czech0.3%(1,205)
French Canadian0.3%(1,176)
Finnish0.2%(1,019)
Austrian0.2%(883)
Armenian0.2%(719)
Croatian0.1%(606)
Brazilian0.1%(573)
Ethiopian0.1%(571)
Lebanese0.1%(570)
Lithuanian0.1%(569)
West Indian0.1%(511)
Syrian0.1%(468)
Belgian0.1%(418)
Romanian0.1%(405)
Egyptian0.1%(398)
Turkish0.1%(365)
Australian0.1%(318)
Israeli0.1%(257)
Bulgarian0%(217)
Serbian0%(214)
Slovak0%(193)
Jamaican0%(172)
Palestinian0%(161)
Arab0%(154)
Haitian0%(147)
Jordanian0%(133)
Nigerian0%(128)
Latvian0%(126)
Slovene0%(105)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(90)
Moroccan0%(58)
Macedonian0%(42)
Ghanaian0%(26)
Guyanese0%(4)
Somali0%(2)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
81.8%
+2.6 ptssince 2000
from 79.2% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
72.9%
US average: 73.3%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
94.2%
US average: 91.9%
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
Direct-purchase
17.0%
US average: 13.7%
VA health care
1.5%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
64.0%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
38.2%
US average: 35.2%
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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)22%(4,357)
Gulf War (1990s)18.3%(3,621)
Vietnam era34.8%(6,891)
Korean War11.7%(2,314)
World War II4.1%(817)
Share of the 19,824 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.
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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
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA has about 448,229 residents according to the 2020 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 $78,925 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 $610,300, and the typical rent is about $1,697 a month.
How educated are people in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
About 35.0% 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 12.9% 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 78,621 residents, a change of about 21 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024