Santa Barbara is a city located in Santa Barbara County California. Santa Barbara has a 2023 population of 87,381. It is also the county seat of Santa Barbara County.Santa Barbara is currently declining at a rate of -0.5% annually and its population has decreased by -1.48% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 88,695 in 2020.
The average household income in Santa Barbara is $130,408 with a poverty rate of 12.87%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Santa Barbara is 39.1 years, 38 years for males, and 40.2 years for females.
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, which is in the state of California, located between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains.
Females make up 49.9% of the population residing in the city of Santa Barbara. 85% of the population has earned their high school diploma, while only 48% have earned their Bachelor's degree or higher.
Santa Barbara's population declined 1,200 or 4.2% between 2000 and 2010. This was the only time the census has reported negative growth in the city as far back as the record goes (1880). Santa Barbara has since bounced back, and its population is now growing slowly but steadily.
The Santa Barbara area has been inhabited for at least 13,000 years with evidence of Paleoindians, Chumash people, and several villages, including Amolomol, Mispu, and Swetete. The first European to reach the area was João Cabrilho, a Portuguese explorer who sailed through the Santa Barbara channel in 1542. It was Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino who named the channel Santa Barbara in 1602. Gaspar de Portola led the first land expedition in 1769.
The first permanent European residents in the region were Spanish soldiers and missionaries who were sent to fortify the area and convert native peoples to Christianity. The Santa Barbara Mission was established in 1786. As the indigenous Chumash people were converted, a village was built on the grounds of the mission, although many died from smallpox and other diseases. Spain's claim on the area ended not long after when the Mexican War of Independence ended in 1822, effectively ending 300 years of colonial rule.
The flag of Mexico flew over the area for another 24 years. Santa Barbara fell to American soldiers in 1846 during the Mexican-American War and became part of the United States. Between 1850 and 1860, the population of Santa Barbara doubled. It was during this time that a land surveyor named Haley designed the city's famous street grid, complete with misaligned streets and poor measurements.
Just before the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered nearby, and the beach outside Santa Barbara became the first offshore oil development in the world. Most of the downtown region was destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1925, although the city rebuilt around the Spanish Colonial style. Later during WWII, many service members chose to stay in the city with the population surging by more than 10,000 between the war's end and 1950. Santa Barbara has continued its steady growth since.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Santa Barbara was:
White
Other race
Two or more races
Asian
Black or African American
Native American
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Household Type | Count | Average Size | Owner | Renter |
---|---|---|---|---|
All | 36,932 | 2.38 | 41.1 | 58.9 |
Non Family | 17,386 | 1.46 | 28.9 | 71.1 |
Married | 14,296 | 3.05 | 61.1 | 38.9 |
Female | 3,300 | 3.59 | 24.9 | 75.1 |
Male | 1,950 | 3.5 | 30.1 | 69.9 |
3
Average Family Size
2.38
Average Household Size
41.1%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
67.61% of Santa Barbara residents speak only English, while 32.39% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 26.92% of the population.
rate
12.87%
Overall Poverty Rate
10.23%
Male Poverty Rate
15.47%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Santa Barbara is Islander, with 74.19% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Santa Barbara is Native, with 5.77% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.08%. Among those working part-time, it was 20.58%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 19.7%.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
41.0%
Overall Marriage Rate
43.0%
Male Marriage Rate
39.2%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
7.87%
Veteran Poverty Rate
23.58%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
66.6%
Labor Force Participation
63.7%
Employment Rate
4.3%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
54.96%
Born in Santa Barbara
79.8%
Native Born
21.31%
Foreign Born
13.27%
Non Citizen
8.04%
Naturalized
79.8% of Santa Barbara residents were born in the United States, with 54.96% having been born in California. 13.27% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
1860 | 2,351 | -82,462 | 2.14% |
1870 | 4,255 | 1,904 | 6.11% |
1880 | 3,460 | -795 | -2.05% |
1890 | 5,864 | 2,404 | 5.42% |
1900 | 6,587 | 723 | 1.17% |
1910 | 11,659 | 5,072 | 5.88% |
1920 | 19,441 | 7,782 | 5.25% |
1930 | 33,613 | 14,172 | 5.63% |
1940 | 34,958 | 1,345 | 0.39% |
1950 | 44,913 | 9,955 | 2.54% |
1960 | 58,768 | 13,855 | 2.73% |
1970 | 70,215 | 11,447 | 1.8% |
1980 | 74,414 | 4,199 | 0.58% |
1990 | 85,571 | 11,157 | 1.41% |
2000 | 92,325 | 6,754 | 0.76% |
2010 | 88,410 | ||
2011 | 88,436 | 26 | 0.03% |
2012 | 88,462 | 26 | 0.03% |
2013 | 88,488 | 26 | 0.03% |
2014 | 88,514 | 26 | 0.03% |
2015 | 88,540 | 26 | 0.03% |
2016 | 88,566 | 26 | 0.03% |
2017 | 88,592 | 26 | 0.03% |
2018 | 88,618 | 26 | 0.03% |
2019 | 88,644 | 26 | 0.03% |
2020 | 88,695 | 51 | 0.06% |
2021 | 88,255 | -440 | -0.5% |
2022 | 87,817 | -438 | -0.5% |
2023 | 87,381 | -436 | -0.5% |
2024 | 86,948 | -433 | -0.5% |
2025 | 86,517 | -431 | -0.5% |
2026 | 86,088 | -429 | -0.5% |
2027 | 85,661 | -427 | -0.5% |
2028 | 85,236 | -425 | -0.5% |
2029 | 84,813 | -423 | -0.5% |