How are homes heated in Isla Vista, CA?

Name: Heating fuel in Isla Vista, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Isla Vista, used by 53.4% (±5.5 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

34.0% heat with electricity.

0.2% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 53.4% (±5.5 points)
Electricity: 34.0%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 0.2%

Heating fuel in Isla Vista

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Isla Vista	Santa Barbara County	California	United States
Utility gas	53.4% (±5.5 points)	68.9%	61.0%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	0.2% (±0.3 points)	0.1%	0.2%	3.9%
Electricity	34.0% (±5.4 points)	22.8%	29.5%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	1.8% (±1.1 points)	2.7%	3.4%	4.9%
Wood	0.0% (±0.9 points)	0.4%	1.3%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.0% (±0.9 points)	0.8%	1.2%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±0.9 points)	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Other fuel	0.4% (±0.7 points)	0.2%	0.3%	0.5%
No fuel used	10.2% (±4.2 points)	4.0%	3.0%	1.2%

The survey asks which fuel is used most to heat the home, so a home with a heat pump and an oil backup is counted once, under the one it uses most.

In Isla Vista, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is not measurably different from Santa Barbara County (0.1%).

It is not measurably different from California (0.2%).

It is lower than the national figure (3.9%).

In Isla Vista, the share of homes heating with electricity is higher than in Santa Barbara County (22.8%).

It is not measurably different from California (29.5%).

It is lower than the national figure (41.3%).

Homes heated by electricity in places near Isla Vista

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Isla Vista
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Isla Vista	—	34.0% (±5.4 points)	—
University of California-Santa Barbara	0.9 mi	19.5% (±9.1 points)	Lower
Goleta	1.6 mi	30.3% (±2.8 points)	Not measurably different
Eastern Goleta Valley	4.8 mi	21.3% (±2.9 points)	Lower
Santa Barbara	8.4 mi	29.5% (±1.9 points)	Not measurably different
Mission Canyon	8.7 mi	24.6% (±8.5 points)	Not measurably different
Montecito	13 mi	21.7% (±4.4 points)	Lower
Summerland	16 mi	31.1% (±20.3 points)	Not measurably different
Toro Canyon	17 mi	20.3% (±9.8 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: University of California-Santa Barbara, CA (19.5%), Eastern Goleta Valley, CA (21.3%), Montecito, CA (21.7%).

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

Homes heated by fuel oil across Santa Barbara County, place by place

Rank	Place	Homes heated by fuel oil
1	Goleta	0.3% (±0.2 points)
2 (tie)	Santa Maria	0.2% (±0.2 points)
2 (tie)	Eastern Goleta Valley	0.2% (±0.3 points)
2 (tie)	Isla Vista	0.2% (±0.3 points)
5 (tie)	Buellton	0.0% (±2.2 points)
5 (tie)	Carpinteria	0.0% (±0.8 points)
5 (tie)	Guadalupe	0.0% (±2.0 points)
5 (tie)	Lompoc	0.0% (±0.3 points)
5 (tie)	Santa Barbara	0.0% (±0.1 points)
5 (tie)	Solvang	0.0% (±1.5 points)

Showing 10 of 22 places in Santa Barbara County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Isla Vista is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Isla Vista

What is the most common way to heat a home in Isla Vista?

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Isla Vista, used by 53.4% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Isla Vista heat with oil?

0.2% (±0.3 points) of occupied homes in Isla Vista use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Isla Vista have electric heat?

34.0% (±5.4 points) of occupied homes in Isla Vista heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Isla Vista CDP, California

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) for Isla Vista CDP, California (place:36868, in state:06).

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

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0063PE, DP04_0063PM, DP04_0066PE, DP04_0066PM, DP04_0065PE, DP04_0065PM, DP04_0064PE, DP04_0064PM, DP04_0068PE, DP04_0068PM, DP04_0069PE, DP04_0069PM, DP04_0067PE, DP04_0067PM, DP04_0070PE, DP04_0070PM, DP04_0071PE, DP04_0071PM

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.