What percentage of people rent in Isla Vista, CA?

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

98.8% (±0.7 points) of the occupied homes in Isla Vista, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 4,705 renting households against 58 that own their home.

In Isla Vista, the share of households that rent went from 98.0% in 2015–2019 to 98.8% in 2020–2024 (+0.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 98.8% (±0.7 points)
Renting households: 4,705 (±364)
Median renter income: $25,435 (±$5,433)

Who rents and who owns in Isla Vista

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Isla Vista	Santa Barbara County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	98.8% (±0.7 points)	47.6% (±0.9 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	4,705 (±364)	71,264 (±1,376)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	58 (±34)	78,344 (±1,317)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.5 (±0.2)	2.9 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.4 (±0.8)	2.8 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$25,435 (±$5,433)	$70,675 (±$2,599)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$121,250 (±$48,527)	$131,935 (±$4,489)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Isla Vista, the renter share is higher than in 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, Isla Vista ranks 2 of 22 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 8 of 1,076.

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

How renting in Isla Vista 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	98.0% (±0.6 points)	98.8% (±0.7 points)	+0.8 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,503 (±$54)	$1,878 (±$95)	+25.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$24,545 (±$3,262)	$25,972 (±$5,478)	+5.8%	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 Isla Vista

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Isla Vista
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Isla Vista	—	98.8% (±0.7 points)	—
University of California-Santa Barbara	0.9 mi	85.3% (±10.4 points)	Lower
Goleta	1.6 mi	49.3% (±3.0 points)	Lower
Eastern Goleta Valley	4.8 mi	25.4% (±3.3 points)	Lower
Santa Barbara	8.4 mi	60.1% (±1.8 points)	Lower
Mission Canyon	8.7 mi	28.9% (±10.8 points)	Lower
Montecito	13 mi	24.2% (±5.1 points)	Lower
Summerland	16 mi	35.7% (±18.1 points)	Lower
Toro Canyon	17 mi	14.1% (±8.1 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: University of California-Santa Barbara, CA (85.3%), Goleta, CA (49.3%), Eastern Goleta Valley, CA (25.4%).

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)

Showing 8 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), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Isla Vista

How many renters are there in Isla Vista?

Isla Vista has an estimated 4,705 (±364) renting households, 98.8% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Isla Vista?

In Isla Vista, the share of households that rent went from 98.0% in 2015–2019 to 98.8% in 2020–2024 (+0.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Isla Vista?

A renting household in Isla Vista has 2.5 people on average, against 2.4 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Isla Vista?

The median renting household in Isla Vista, CA has an income of $25,435 (±$5,433) a year, against $121,250 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 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 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.