City profile · California · Census ACS 2023

University of California-Santa Barbara, CA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for University of California-Santa Barbara - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

11,634
Residents
$75,000
Median income
$452,600
Median home
$3,124
Median rent (state)

University of California-Santa Barbara - the verdict

University of California-Santa Barbara ranks in the 56th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.

56th
percentile, household income
82nd
percentile, home value
98th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: University of California-Santa Barbara, CA

California's University of California-Santa Barbara is a small town, with 11,634 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. University of California-Santa Barbara households earn a median of $75,000 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 3.5%. Home values in University of California-Santa Barbara run a median of $452,600, and the median resident age is 19.9 years. About 76.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 39.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

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 $3,124 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts California's average monthly utility costs around $275 (state average). Workers in University of California-Santa Barbara report an average commute of 12.5 minutes, with 20.1% driving alone and 17.7% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 99.0 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).

Population

11,634 residents

Census ACS 2023 - California

Median Household Income

$75,000 /yr

Poverty 3.5%

Cost of Living Index (state)

110.7 (US=100)

Well Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, California average

How does University of California-Santa Barbara compare to other US cities?

Where University of California-Santa Barbara sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 56% higher than other cities
Home value 82% pricier than other cities
Median rent 98% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below University of California-Santa Barbara's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in California, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

56thIncome percentile

56th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How University of California-Santa Barbara's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$452,600 18th percentile more affordable than 18% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). This entry sits in this band. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. University of California-Santa Barbara $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - University of California-Santa Barbara, CA University of California-Santa Barbara, CA's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not University of California-Santa Barbara, CA-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution University of California-Santa Barbara, CA median $75,000/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
University of California-Santa Barbara, CA's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for University of California-Santa Barbara, CA. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 76.5%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 3.5%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 39.6%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
11,634
Median Income
$75,000
Median Home Value
$452,600
Median Age
19.9
Poverty Rate
3.5%
Labor force participation
39.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
76.5%

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
12.5 minutes
Drive Alone
20.1%
Carpool
4.7%
Public Transit
6.8%
Walk
23.7%
Work from Home
17.7%
Other
27.0%

Based on 4,145 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for California - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$150
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$70
avg/month
Total Utilities
$275
estimated/month

Estimates reflect California state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a California state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county University of California-Santa Barbara sits in

Cost of Living Index
110.7
Well Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$3,124/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
99.0 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in California

Alum Rock
11,619 people
Lakeland
11,587 people
Signal Hill
11,563 people
View Park-Windsor Hills
11,744 people
La Riviera
11,503 people
Los Alamitos
11,784 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to University of California-Santa Barbara's 11,634 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Alcoa, TN
11,635 people
Guttenberg, NJ
11,638 people
Seven Hills, OH
11,628 people
Miami Shores, FL
11,627 people
Plano, IL
11,626 people
South Yarmouth, MA
11,642 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to University of California-Santa Barbara's $75,000 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Scranton, AR
$75,000 median income
Southern Ute, CO
$75,000 median income
Cheswold, DE
$75,000 median income
Medora, IL
$75,000 median income
Straughn, IN
$75,000 median income
Leighton, IA
$75,000 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - University of California-Santa Barbara, CA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition University of California-Santa Barbara, CA - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 47.7% 31.2% 6.6% 12.0% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 15.9% White 47.7% Black or African American 1.4% Asian 31.2% American Indian 0.7% Native Hawaiian 0.4% Some other race 6.6% Two or more races 12.0% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How University of California-Santa Barbara compares to nearby California cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
University of California-Santa Barbara (this city) 11,634 $75,000
Alum Rock 11,619 $111,976
Lakeland 11,587 $83,371
Signal Hill 11,563 $102,303
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CA OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about University of California-Santa Barbara, CA?

What is the population of University of California-Santa Barbara, CA? +

The population of University of California-Santa Barbara, CA stands at 11,634 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in University of California-Santa Barbara, CA? +

The median household income in University of California-Santa Barbara is $75,000 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in University of California-Santa Barbara? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for University of California-Santa Barbara; the closest available measure is the California state average, a cost of living index of 110.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within California vary by metro area.

What is the median home value in University of California-Santa Barbara, CA? +

The median home value in University of California-Santa Barbara is $452,600, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.