Santa Barbara County, California
Population 443,701 · Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Lompoc
- Overall cost of living: +8.8% vs the US average, higher than 98% of US counties.
- Annual snowfall: 0 in, the lowest in the US.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+8.8% | higher than 98% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $790,700 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Median rent | $2,131 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $97/mo | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $12,590/yr | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.65% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 7.25% | the highest in the US |
| State income tax | 9.3% | the highest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $5,103 | higher than 96% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $98,161 | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | 0% | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 360.4 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈255 days | higher than 90% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 73°F | lower than 98% of US counties |
| January low | 44°F | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈0 in | the lowest in the US |
| ≈ Weather station: Los Alamos, CA, 12 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈3 days | lower than 93% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Santa Barbara Muni Airport, CA, 21 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈5 days | lower than 98% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Santa Barbara Muni Airport, CA, 21 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 30.4% of weeks | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈50.8°F | lower than 87% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 17.4 in | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $378/yr | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $188/yr | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $131/yr | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.02/yr | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $26/yr | higher than 91% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.2 µg/m³ | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 13 mi | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈5,929.9 ft | higher than 97% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 81.9% | lower than 91% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 36.8% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 14.8% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 8 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 20.5:1 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 92.9% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.46 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.47 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.64 | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.8 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 76/100k | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 2 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.2★ | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 80.6 yrs | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 10.3% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 684/100k | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 94/100k | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 92.3% | higher than 92% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 36 min | lower than 81% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 130 min | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 21 min | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 92.5% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 2.2% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 13.4% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 108 min | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 125 per sq mi | higher than 99% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 3.2 per 1k | higher than 72% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 13.6 per 1k | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Population | 443,701 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Median age | 34.6 | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -10.8 per 1k/yr | lower than 94% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 61.8% Dem | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 35.1% Rep | lower than 95% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 3.1% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % White | 40.6% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 48.2% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.5% | lower than 56% of US counties |
| % Asian | 5.2% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.2% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 3.7% | higher than 54% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 1259 parks | higher than 97% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 21 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 6 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.5% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 19 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 38 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,109 km | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 47 km | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 76 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 68 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 16 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 24 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 14 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 115 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 16 | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 32 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 135 km | higher than 89% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data