Santa Barbara, California

Population

Down 2.6% since 2020.

86,422

people, the 94th-largest of California's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among California's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

7 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

69.7%

of 56,692 jobs located in Santa Barbara are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in May: 2.7%.

3.8%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 3.9%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 81% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$2,413

a month. California's median is $2,036.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $2,503 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Santa Barbara County.

• $998 Tract 18
• $3,501 Tract 15

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent is above what local wages can carry.

$1,148–$1,721

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $2,413 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 339 homes permitted, 2022–2025
• 54% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 91% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 1% to the 39,204 homes here.

216–567

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 114% more than California's.

$1,570,800

median home value in Santa Barbara.

• $1,570,800 Santa Barbara
• $734,700 California
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year