• county
  • FIPS 06083
  • Largest town: Santa Maria

Santa Barbara County, California

Santa Barbara County had 444,500 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,733.9 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 58 in California by population and 21st by land area.

Population
444,500
#20 of 58 in California · #166 in US
Area
2,733.9 sq mi
#21 of 58 in California · #190 in US
Density
163 / sq mi
#23 of 58 in California · #653 in US
Median household income
$90,155
#19 of 58 in California · #244 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Santa Barbara County within California. Pin: Sacramento.

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Tools and pages that start from Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County population, land area and income

Santa Barbara County had 444,500 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,733.9 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 58 in California by population and 21st by land area. That works out to 162.6 people per square mile, 1.7 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in California has 187,274 residents, so Santa Barbara County is 2.4 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $90,155 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

444,500

3144th1st

166th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

2,734 sq mi

3144th1st

190th of 3,144 (US)

Density

162.6 / sq mi

3144th1st

653rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$90,155

3143rd1st

244th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within California (58)

Population

444,500

58th1st

20th of 58 (CA)

Land area

2,734 sq mi

58th1st

21st of 58 (CA)

Density

162.6 / sq mi

58th1st

23rd of 58 (CA)

Median household income

$90,155

58th1st

19th of 58 (CA)

How Santa Barbara County's population changed since 2020

Santa Barbara County lost 3,583 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.8%. That ranks 32nd of 58 in California for growth. The median California county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by -0.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Santa Barbara County recorded 23,517 births and 14,992 deaths, a natural change of +8,525. Net international migration added +9,018 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -20,979. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 20,979 people.

448.1k2020437.1k2021445.3k2022443.5k2023444.5k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
23,517
Deaths
14,992
Net international migration
+9,018
Net domestic migration
-20,979
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+979

Where Santa Barbara County is

The Census internal point of Santa Barbara County is at 34.536700, -120.038400. It sits in UTM zone 10N. The map shades California's 58 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Santa Barbara County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Los Angeles County: -2.4%Kings County: +1.4%Sierra County: -3.6%Riverside County: +4.3%Santa Barbara County: -0.8%San Bernardino County: +1.4%Nevada County: -0.1%Santa Clara County: +0.1%Yuba County: +6.7%Fresno County: +1.4%Plumas County: -4.7%Monterey County: -1.0%Amador County: +3.6%Alameda County: -1.9%Tulare County: +2.0%San Joaquin County: +4.5%Alpine County: -6.8%Siskiyou County: -3.4%Butte County: -0.9%Kern County: +1.8%San Diego County: -0.1%Sacramento County: +1.5%Ventura County: -1.0%Yolo County: +3.4%Lake County: -0.6%Napa County: -3.4%Tehama County: -1.9%San Francisco County: -5.4%El Dorado County: +0.8%Calaveras County: +2.5%Inyo County: -2.7%Shasta County: -0.6%Lassen County: -12.3%San Luis Obispo County: -0.0%Mariposa County: -0.5%Trinity County: -2.8%Contra Costa County: +0.6%Mendocino County: -2.4%Imperial County: +1.1%Santa Cruz County: -3.4%Placer County: +6.9%Orange County: -0.5%San Benito County: +7.2%Marin County: -1.9%San Mateo County: -2.6%Colusa County: +0.9%Del Norte County: -2.2%Solano County: +0.5%Glenn County: -2.0%Tuolumne County: -2.7%Sonoma County: -0.6%Humboldt County: -2.9%Mono County: -1.8%Stanislaus County: +0.6%Merced County: +4.9%Sutter County: -0.9%Madera County: +5.8%Modoc County: -2.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.7%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < -0.0%
  4. < +1.5%
  5. ≥ +1.5%
no data

Orange pin: Santa Barbara County internal point. Dark pin: Sacramento.

Internal point

Decimal
34.536700, -120.038400
DMS
34°32'12.12"N 120°02'18.24"W
UTM
10N 771808.9E 3825651.6N
Geohash
9q4skrnwy
Plus code
846XGXP6+MJ

Towns in Santa Barbara County

8 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Santa Barbara County, 307,464 people together, or 69% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Santa Barbara County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Santa Maria with 111,346.

  1. 01Santa Maria111,346
  2. 02Santa Barbara87,291
  3. 03Lompoc43,594
  4. 04Goleta32,611
  5. 05Carpinteria12,876
  6. 06Guadalupe8,735
  7. 07Solvang5,988
  8. 08Buellton5,023
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Santa Barbara County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 3 neighbors for Santa Barbara County. The most populous is Kern County, CA, with 922,529 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Sacramento and the nearest big city

Sacramento is 290.6 miles NNW of Santa Barbara County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Santa Maria, CA (population 111,346), 35.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Goleta, CA (population 32,611), 12.4 miles away.

Santa Barbara County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Santa Barbara County is 06083: state code 06 for California plus county code 083. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $90,155.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Santa Barbara County, California?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 444,500. That is down 3,583 people (0.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 448,083.

What is the FIPS code of Santa Barbara County?

06083. The first two digits (06) are California; the last three (083) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Santa Barbara County?

Santa Maria, with 111,346 residents inside Santa Barbara County in 2024.

Which counties border Santa Barbara County?

3 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Kern County, CA; Ventura County, CA; San Luis Obispo County, CA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.