What percentage of people rent in Goleta, CA?

Name: Renters and owners in Goleta, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

49.3% (±3.0 points) of the occupied homes in Goleta, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 6,082 renting households against 6,266 that own their home.

In Goleta, the share of households that rent went from 48.5% in 2015–2019 to 49.3% in 2020–2024 (+0.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 49.3% (±3.0 points)
Renting households: 6,082 (±431)
Median renter income: $96,702 (±$7,186)

Who rents and who owns in Goleta

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Goleta	Santa Barbara County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	49.3% (±3.0 points)	47.6% (±0.9 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	6,082 (±431)	71,264 (±1,376)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	6,266 (±394)	78,344 (±1,317)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.5 (±0.1)	2.9 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.7 (±0.1)	2.8 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$96,702 (±$7,186)	$70,675 (±$2,599)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$155,395 (±$16,046)	$131,935 (±$4,489)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Goleta, the renter share is not measurably different from Santa Barbara County (47.6%).

It is also higher than in California (44.1%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Santa Barbara County, Goleta ranks 7 of 22 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 192 of 1,076.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Goleta has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	48.5% (±3.0 points)	49.3% (±3.0 points)	+0.8 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,999 (±$106)	$2,437 (±$120)	+21.9%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$98,005 (±$7,415)	$122,370 (±$8,547)	+24.9%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Goleta

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Goleta
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Goleta	—	49.3% (±3.0 points)	—
University of California-Santa Barbara	1.4 mi	85.3% (±10.4 points)	Higher
Isla Vista	1.6 mi	98.8% (±0.7 points)	Higher
Eastern Goleta Valley	4.2 mi	25.4% (±3.3 points)	Lower
Mission Canyon	8.2 mi	28.9% (±10.8 points)	Lower
Santa Barbara	8.6 mi	60.1% (±1.8 points)	Higher
Montecito	13 mi	24.2% (±5.1 points)	Lower
Summerland	16 mi	35.7% (±18.1 points)	Not measurably different
Toro Canyon	17 mi	14.1% (±8.1 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Eastern Goleta Valley, CA (25.4%), Mission Canyon, CA (28.9%), Montecito, CA (24.2%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: University of California-Santa Barbara, CA (85.3%), Isla Vista, CA (98.8%), Santa Barbara, CA (60.1%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Santa Barbara County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Vandenberg AFB	100.0% (±3.7 points)
2	Isla Vista	98.8% (±0.7 points)
3	University of California-Santa Barbara	85.3% (±10.4 points)
4	Santa Barbara	60.1% (±1.8 points)
5	Lompoc	51.0% (±2.9 points)
6	Santa Maria	49.8% (±2.1 points)
7	Goleta	49.3% (±3.0 points)
8	Guadalupe	44.6% (±7.3 points)
9	Solvang	43.0% (±7.7 points)
10	Buellton	41.3% (±9.4 points)
11	Carpinteria	38.5% (±5.3 points)
12	Summerland	35.7% (±18.1 points)
13	Santa Ynez	35.1% (±10.9 points)

Showing 13 of 22 places in Santa Barbara County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Goleta

How many renters are there in Goleta?

Goleta has an estimated 6,082 (±431) renting households, 49.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Goleta?

In Goleta, the share of households that rent went from 48.5% in 2015–2019 to 49.3% in 2020–2024 (+0.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Goleta?

A renting household in Goleta has 2.5 people on average, against 2.7 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Goleta?

The median renting household in Goleta, CA has an income of $96,702 (±$7,186) a year, against $155,395 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Goleta city, California (place:30378, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.