California
Distance from Lancaster to Santa Maria
Straight-line distance
129.7mi
Lancaster, CA and Santa Maria, CA are 129.7 miles (208.8 km) apart in a straight line. From Lancaster, the shortest path starts out heading W (278°).
- kilometers
- 208.8
- nautical miles
- 112.7
- heading from Lancaster
- 278° W
- heading from Santa Maria
- 97° E
Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders
How far Lancaster is from Santa Maria
The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Lancaster and Santa Maria is 129.7 miles, 208.8 km or 112.7 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 129.7 miles, practically the same at this range.
Measurements
- Miles
- 129.7
- Kilometers
- 208.8
- Nautical miles
- 112.7
- Bearing from Lancaster
- 278.0° W
- Bearing arriving at Santa Maria
- 276.7°
- Bearing from Santa Maria
- 96.7° E
Halfway between Lancaster and Santa Maria
The great-circle midpoint is at 34.818612, -119.307801 (34°49'7.00"N 119°18'28.09"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Maricopa, CA, with 1,012 residents, 17.0 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.
Time zones and daylight
Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Lancaster gets 14 h 29 min of daylight and Santa Maria 14 h 30 min; on December 21, 9 h 50 min and 9 h 48 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.
Population compared
Lancaster has 1.5 times the population of Santa Maria. From July 2020 to July 2024, Lancaster changed by -3.3% and Santa Maria by +1.4%. Both are in California.
- 01Lancaster, CA167,426 (-3.3%)
- 02Santa Maria, CA111,346 (+1.4%)
Questions people ask
How far is Lancaster from Santa Maria?
129.7 miles, 208.8 km or 112.7 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.
Which direction is Santa Maria from Lancaster?
W. The great-circle path leaves Lancaster on a bearing of 278.0° and arrives at Santa Maria on 276.7°. The return trip starts on 96.7°.
What is halfway between Lancaster and Santa Maria?
The midpoint is at 34.818612, -119.307801. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Maricopa, CA, 17.0 miles from it.
Is there a time difference between Lancaster and Santa Maria?
Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference.
Which is bigger, Lancaster or Santa Maria?
Lancaster, with 167,426 residents in July 2024 against 111,346 for Santa Maria, 1.5 times as many.
Sources and data as of
Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.
- 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
- 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
- 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
- 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)
How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.