Santa Barbara, California Population 2023

87,381

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.

Santa Barbara Age and Education Demographics

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 Population Growth

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.

Santa Barbara Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Santa Barbara was:

  • White: 70.75%
  • Other race: 12.79%
  • Two or more races: 10.26%
  • Asian: 3.71%
  • Black or African American: 1.66%
  • Native American: 0.72%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.1%
Land Area (mi²)
19.5 sq mi
Density (mi²)
4,480.60/sq mi
Growth Rate
-0.5% (-436)
Growth Since 2020
-1.48% (-1,314)
The current population of Santa Barbara, California is 87,381 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 88,695.

Santa Barbara, California Population 2023

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White63,05970.75%
Other race11,40212.79%
Two or more races9,14210.26%
Asian3,3113.71%
Black or African American1,4841.66%
Native American6410.72%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander930.1%
showing: 7 rows

White

Other race

Two or more races

Asian

Black or African American

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Santa Barbara Population by Race

Santa Barbara Population Pyramid 2023

Santa Barbara Median Age

39.1

Total

38

Male

40.2

Female

Santa Barbara Adults

There are 74,176 adults, (16,973 of whom are seniors) in Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara Age Dependency

55.8

Age Dependency Ratio

29.7

Old Age Dependency Ratio

26.1

Child Dependency Ratio

Santa Barbara Sex Ratio

Female44,94150.42%
Male44,19149.58%

Santa Barbara Population by Age

Santa Barbara Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All36,9322.3841.158.9
Non Family17,3861.4628.971.1
Married14,2963.0561.138.9
Female3,3003.5924.975.1
Male1,9503.530.169.9
showing: 5 rows

3

Average Family Size

2.38

Average Household Size

41.1%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Santa Barbara Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Santa Barbara Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Santa Barbara Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 84.11%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 56.86%.

Santa Barbara Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$52,238

Average Earnings

$55,947

Average Male

$46,948

Average Female

Santa Barbara Earnings by Educational Attainment

Santa Barbara Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Santa Barbara Language

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.

Santa Barbara Language

Santa Barbara Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Hispanic31,7565,15616.24%
White49,0674,8389.86%
Other11,2772,18119.34%
Multiple9,1111,49716.43%
Asian3,26964419.7%
Black1,47233923.03%
Islander936974.19%
Native641375.77%
showing: 8 rows

12.87%

Overall Poverty Rate

10.23%

Male Poverty Rate

15.47%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Santa Barbara

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%.

Santa Barbara Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade19.56%
High School14.14%
Some College12.65%
Bachelors or Greater4.7%
showing: 4 rows

Santa Barbara Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Male Unemployed33.39%
Female Unemployed31.83%
Female Employed11.11%
Male Employed6.82%
showing: 4 rows

Santa Barbara Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Santa Barbara Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Santa Barbara Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

41.0%

Overall Marriage Rate

43.0%

Male Marriage Rate

39.2%

Female Marriage Rate

Santa Barbara Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Santa Barbara Marriage

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.

Santa Barbara Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Santa Barbara Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

3,217

Number of Veterans

3,052

Male Veterans

165

Female Veterans

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Santa Barbara Veterans by War

count

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Santa Barbara Veterans by Age

count

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Santa Barbara Veterans by Race

Santa Barbara Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

7.87%

Veteran Poverty Rate

23.58%

Veteran Disability Rate

Santa Barbara Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

66.6%

Labor Force Participation

63.7%

Employment Rate

4.3%

Unemployment Rate

Santa Barbara Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Santa Barbara Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Santa Barbara Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

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.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

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

Place of Birth

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.

Santa Barbara Place of Birth

Note: data after 2021 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
18602,351-82,4622.14%
18704,2551,9046.11%
18803,460-795-2.05%
18905,8642,4045.42%
19006,5877231.17%
191011,6595,0725.88%
192019,4417,7825.25%
193033,61314,1725.63%
194034,9581,3450.39%
195044,9139,9552.54%
196058,76813,8552.73%
197070,21511,4471.8%
198074,4144,1990.58%
199085,57111,1571.41%
200092,3256,7540.76%
201088,410
201188,436260.03%
201288,462260.03%
201388,488260.03%
201488,514260.03%
201588,540260.03%
201688,566260.03%
201788,592260.03%
201888,618260.03%
201988,644260.03%
202088,695510.06%
202188,255-440-0.5%
202287,817-438-0.5%
202387,381-436-0.5%
202486,948-433-0.5%
202586,517-431-0.5%
202686,088-429-0.5%
202785,661-427-0.5%
202885,236-425-0.5%
202984,813-423-0.5%
showing: 35 rows

Santa Barbara Population by Year