Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetCA-GOLETA-CA · Goleta, CA 32,693 pop · income 86th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Goleta
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Goleta on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Desert Hot Sp… · lowest
50,349
Desert Hot Sp… · lowest
50,349 median HH income
24.2% of the leader · rank #1
Bolton Valley · near
118,036
Bolton Valley · near
118,036 median HH income
56.8% of the leader · rank #2
Eagle · near
118,037
Eagle · near
118,037 median HH income
56.8% of the leader · rank #3
Goleta · this city
118,039
Goleta · this city
118,039 median HH income
56.8% of the leader · rank #4
Harrison · near
118,047
Harrison · near
118,047 median HH income
56.8% of the leader · rank #5
West Richland · near
118,056
West Richland · near
118,056 median HH income
56.8% of the leader · rank #6
Los Gatos · highest
207,891
Los Gatos · highest
207,891 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Goleta on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 32,693.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Goleta - the verdict
Goleta ranks in the 86th percentile for household income and the 38th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
86th
percentile, household income
97th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
38th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Goleta, CA
Goleta is a small city in California, home to 32,693 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $118,039 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 5.4%. Goleta's housing stock carries a median value of $1,002,500, and the median resident age is 35.5 years. 48.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 67.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 13 residential building permits were authorized in Goleta (Construction Slowdown), down 92% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Goleta reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1774.3 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
California carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts California at 110.7 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,053 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). Workers in Goleta report an average commute of 15.5 minutes, with 61.7% driving alone and 17.9% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 88.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Goleta's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from schools and households to housing and income to work and mobility to population change to reported crime to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Goleta, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Goleta?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 8 public schools within the city match. 48.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
How far does income reach against housing in Goleta?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 8.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What does the journey to work look like in Goleta?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 61.7%. The reported mean trip to work is 15.5 minutes.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Which cities make useful reference points for Goleta?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within California, the closest population matches are Lathrop (32,696 residents, $118,605 income); Los Gatos (32,773 residents, $207,891 income); Menlo Park (32,775 residents, $206,588 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Savage, MN (32,706 residents); Pasadena, MD (32,717 residents); St. Charles, IL (32,733 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Goleta growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -372 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 13 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
2020 estimate
32,773
2025 estimate
32,401
Period change
-1.1%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Goleta?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1774.3 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 22% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
1774.3
Violent rate
205.3
Property rate
1569.0
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
C
City profile score · Goleta, CA
57/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income A
$118,039
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share A-
48.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate C+
5.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime D
205 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
110.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Goleta profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 85/100 (A) · $118,039
Bachelor's+ share: 82/100 (A-) · 48.3%
Poverty rate: 63/100 (C+) · 5.4%
Violent crime: 47/100 (D) · 205 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where Goleta sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Goleta's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Goleta highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Goleta, CA (this city): home $1,002,500, crime 1,774/100k
Savage, MN : home $395,600, crime 794/100k
St. Charles, IL : home $369,700, crime 1,156/100k
Brooklyn Center, MN : home $261,100, crime 3,368/100k
Lathrop, CA : home $605,000, crime 1,723/100k
Los Gatos, CA : home $2,000,000+, crime 1,580/100k
Menlo Park, CA : home $2,000,000+, crime 2,010/100k
Desert Hot Springs, CA : home $309,300, crime 1,692/100k
Bell, CA : home $561,400, crime 1,745/100k
Dana Point, CA : home $1,200,900, crime 1,059/100k
How does Goleta compare to other US cities?
Here's how Goleta stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income86% higher than other cities
Home value97% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety38% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to California alone, Goleta ranks #193 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Goleta against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
California-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Goleta near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Goleta ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Goleta only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#343 of 1,338
74th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#241 of 1,343
82nd percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#803 of 1,450
44th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#297 of 1,458
80th percentile in California
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within California only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
86th percentile nationally for median household income · 38th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Goleta's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Goleta's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Goleta's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$1,002,5003rd percentilemore affordable than 3% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Goleta's home-value-to-income ratio: 8.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,158 of 15,516
More affordable than 2% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,228 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 8.5×, Goleta sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,158 of 15,516 and #3,228 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$118,039Goleta, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Goleta, CA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Goleta, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)48.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)67.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
32,693
Median Income
$118,039
Median Home Value
$1,002,500
Median Age
35.5
Poverty Rate
5.4%
Labor force participation
67.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
48.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1774.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
205.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1569.0
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
8
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Goleta's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
32,773 residents
2021
32,749 residents
2022
32,660 residents
2023
32,616 residents
2024
32,524 residents
2025
32,401 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
13
housing units authorized
Single-Family
13
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
154
146
8
$38.0M
2020
197
109
88
$40.6M
2021
28
1
27
$2.3M
2022
3
3
0
$0.3M
2023
8
8
0
$0.7M
2024
13
13
0
$1.8M
Permit volume decreased 92% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
15.5 minutes
Drive Alone
61.7%
Carpool
10.5%
Public Transit
2.4%
Walk
2.6%
Work from Home
17.9%
Other
4.9%
Based on 17,539 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
California statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $275
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across California at $275 (electricity about $150 , water and sewer about $70 ).
These are California statewide averages, not a meter reading for Goleta. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
California's BEA cost-of-living index is 110.7 (Well Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Goleta is $2,053/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to California statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a California statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Goleta sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Goleta compares to similar-size California cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.