What is the rental vacancy rate in Isla Vista, CA?

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

The rental vacancy rate in Isla Vista, CA is 2.9% (±2.1 points) (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

The homeowner vacancy rate is 0.0% (±44.5 points).

560 (±215) homes, 10.5% of all housing units, were vacant, a count that includes seasonal homes and homes being sold or rented.

In Isla Vista, the rental vacancy rate went from 2.9% in 2015–2019 to 2.9% in 2020–2024 (0.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Rental vacancy rate: 2.9% (±2.1 points)
Homeowner vacancy rate: 0.0% (±44.5 points)
Vacant homes: 560 (±215)

Vacancy in Isla Vista against Santa Barbara County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Isla Vista	Santa Barbara County	California	United States
Rental vacancy rate	2.9% (±2.1 points)	3.3% (±0.6 points)	4.2% (±0.1 points)	5.5%
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.0% (±44.5 points)	0.6% (±0.2 points)	0.8% (±0.1 points)	0.9%
Vacant housing units	560 (±215)	10,984 (±746)	1,096,644 (±18,928)	14,547,859

The rental vacancy rate is the share of rental homes that are vacant and for rent; it leaves out homes already rented but not yet moved into, and seasonal homes.

In Isla Vista, the rental vacancy rate is not measurably different from Santa Barbara County (3.3%).

It is not measurably different from California (4.2%).

It is lower than the national figure (5.5%).

Rental vacancy rate in places near Isla Vista

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Isla Vista
Place	Distance	Rental vacancy rate	Compared with this place
Isla Vista	—	2.9% (±2.1 points)	—
University of California-Santa Barbara	0.9 mi	8.5% (±6.4 points)	Not measurably different
Goleta	1.6 mi	3.2% (±2.4 points)	Not measurably different
Eastern Goleta Valley	4.8 mi	3.8% (±3.9 points)	Not measurably different
Santa Barbara	8.4 mi	2.9% (±0.9 points)	Not measurably different
Mission Canyon	8.7 mi	0.0% (±15.1 points)	Not measurably different
Montecito	13 mi	7.6% (±5.3 points)	Not measurably different
Summerland	16 mi	26.6% (±33.2 points)	Not measurably different
Toro Canyon	17 mi	0.0% (±33.1 points)	Not measurably different

None of the nearby places differs measurably from this one on this figure.

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

Rental vacancy rate across Santa Barbara County, place by place

Rank	Place	Rental vacancy rate
7	Lompoc	4.2% (±1.7 points)
8	Eastern Goleta Valley	3.8% (±3.9 points)
9	Orcutt	3.6% (±3.2 points)
10	Goleta	3.2% (±2.4 points)
11	Santa Maria	3.1% (±1.5 points)
12 (tie)	Santa Barbara	2.9% (±0.9 points)
12 (tie)	Isla Vista	2.9% (±2.1 points)
14	Guadalupe	1.8% (±3.0 points)
15	Vandenberg AFB	1.4% (±2.4 points)
16 (tie)	Solvang	0.0% (±3.4 points)
16 (tie)	Los Alamos	0.0% (±26.0 points)
16 (tie)	Los Olivos	0.0% (±44.5 points)
16 (tie)	Mission Canyon	0.0% (±15.1 points)

Showing 13 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

Is it hard to find a rental in Isla Vista?

The rental vacancy rate in Isla Vista, CA is 2.9% (±2.1 points); a low rate means few rental homes stand empty and for rent at any time, which usually means more competition for each one.

Is the rental market in Isla Vista tighter than it was?

In Isla Vista, the rental vacancy rate went from 2.9% in 2015–2019 to 2.9% in 2020–2024 (0.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How many homes are vacant in Isla Vista?

An estimated 560 (±215) housing units, 10.5% of the total, including seasonal homes and homes waiting to be sold or rented.

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) 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_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M, DP04_0004E, DP04_0004M, DP04_0003E, DP04_0003M, DP04_0003PE, DP04_0003PM

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.