State
County
Land Area
19.5 sq mi
Density
4,701.30/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
0.18%
Growth Since 2010
3.71%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
447,937
Santa Barbara is a city located in California. With a 2020 population of 91,686, it is the 87th largest city in California and the 372nd largest city in the United States. Santa Barbara is currently growing at a rate of 0.18% annually and its population has increased by 3.71% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 88,410 in 2010. Santa Barbara reached it's highest population of 92,325 in 2000. Spanning over 42 miles, Santa Barbara has a population density of 4,701 people per square mile.
The average household income in Santa Barbara is $111,274 with a poverty rate of 12.49%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,786 per month, and the median house value is $1.05 Mn. The median age in Santa Barbara is 39 years, 37.3 years for males, and 40.8 years for females. For every 100 females there are 100.2 males.
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:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 447,937 | 719 | 0.16% |
2020 | 447,218 | 719 | 0.16% |
2019 | 446,499 | 719 | 0.16% |
2018 | 445,780 | 482 | 0.11% |
2017 | 445,298 | 958 | 0.22% |
2016 | 444,340 | 2,111 | 0.48% |
2015 | 442,229 | 3,184 | 0.72% |
2014 | 439,045 | 4,444 | 1.01% |
2013 | 434,601 | 4,902 | 1.13% |
2012 | 429,699 | 4,246 | 0.99% |
2011 | 425,453 | 1,222 | 0.29% |
2010 | 424,231 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 72,394 | 79.23% |
Some Other Race | 10,554 | 11.55% |
Asian | 3,624 | 3.97% |
Two or More Races | 2,774 | 3.04% |
Black or African American | 1,413 | 1.55% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 604 | 0.66% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 13 | 0.01% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 37,333 | 2.41 | 40.7 |
Non Family | 17,462 | 1.53 | 29.4 |
Married | 14,968 | 3.07 | 57.8 |
Female | 3,417 | 3.53 | 25.8 |
Male | 1,486 | 3.61 | 34.3 |
2.99
Average Family Size
2.41
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 5,503 | 8.52% |
9th to 12th Grade | 3,606 | 5.58% |
High School Graduate | 8,319 | 12.87% |
Some College | 11,573 | 17.91% |
Associates Degree | 3,809 | 5.89% |
Bachelors Degree | 18,492 | 28.62% |
Graduate Degree | 13,317 | 20.61% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 39,074 | 38,322 | 25,956 |
Hispanic | 20,944 | 12,902 | 3,479 |
Other Race | 7,000 | 4,195 | 890 |
Asian | 2,485 | 2,320 | 1,567 |
Multiple Races | 1,467 | 1,377 | 595 |
Black | 1,161 | 973 | 268 |
Native American | 465 | 402 | 48 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 98.08%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 66.43%.
$43,770
Average Earnings
$50,732
Average Male
$36,990
Average Female
65.37% of Santa Barbara residents speak only English, while 34.63% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 28.94% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
White | 50,448 | 5,144 | 10.20% |
Hispanic | 33,374 | 4,842 | 14.51% |
Other | 10,476 | 1,408 | 13.44% |
Asian | 3,592 | 757 | 21.07% |
Multiple | 2,769 | 356 | 12.86% |
Black | 1,395 | 314 | 22.51% |
Native | 604 | 103 | 17.05% |
Islander | 13 | 13 | 100.00% |
12.49%
Overall Poverty Rate
11.30%
Male Poverty Rate
13.68%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Santa Barbara is Islander, with 100.00% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Santa Barbara is White, with 10.20% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.91%. Among those working part-time, it was 17.78%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 22.04%.
41.8%
Overall Marriage Rate
42.3%
Male Marriage Rate
41.4%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 2,970 | 4.89% |
Hispanic | 454 | 1.81% |
Other | 176 | 2.13% |
2 or More | 103 | 5.28% |
Indian | 103 | 20.56% |
Black | 80 | 6.15% |
Asian | 65 | 2.01% |
11.66%
Veteran Poverty Rate
28.22%
Veteran Disability Rate
68.3%
Labor Force Participation
65.7%
Employment Rate
3.8%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
77.76%
Native Born
22.24%
Foreign Born
14.20%
Non Citizen
8.05%
Naturalized
77.76% of Santa Barbara residents were born in the United States, with 52.69% having been born in California. 14.20% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 91,686 | 161 | 0.18% |
2020 | 91,525 | 161 | 0.18% |
2019 | 91,364 | 161 | 0.18% |
2018 | 91,203 | -314 | -0.34% |
2017 | 91,517 | -1 | -0.00% |
2016 | 91,518 | 243 | 0.27% |
2015 | 91,275 | 460 | 0.51% |
2014 | 90,815 | 733 | 0.81% |
2013 | 90,082 | 797 | 0.89% |
2012 | 89,285 | 680 | 0.77% |
2011 | 88,605 | 137 | 0.15% |
2010 | 88,468 | -3,857 | -0.43% |
2000 | 92,325 | 6,754 | 0.76% |
1990 | 85,571 | 11,157 | 1.41% |
1980 | 74,414 | 4,199 | 0.58% |
1970 | 70,215 | 11,447 | 1.80% |
1960 | 58,768 | 13,855 | 2.73% |
1950 | 44,913 | 9,955 | 2.54% |
1940 | 34,958 | 1,345 | 0.39% |
1930 | 33,613 | 14,172 | 5.63% |
1920 | 19,441 | 7,782 | 5.25% |
1910 | 11,659 | 5,072 | 5.88% |
1900 | 6,587 | 723 | 1.17% |
1890 | 5,864 | 2,404 | 5.42% |
1880 | 3,460 | -795 | -2.05% |
1870 | 4,255 | 1,904 | 6.11% |
1860 | 2,351 | 0.00% |