Housing data for Montecito, CA
Montecito, CA has an estimated 9,031 residents and 4,092 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County.
24.2% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $3,500 or more a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 9,031 (±666)
- Housing units
- 4,092 (±269)
- Households that rent
- 24.2%
- Median gross rent
- $3,500 or more
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +9.5%
What stands out in Montecito
Median household income: $231,005 (±$9,799) in Montecito, higher than in Santa Barbara County ($98,161).
Working from home: 33.9% (±5.7 points) in Montecito, higher than in Santa Barbara County (13.4%).
Households that rent: 24.2% (±5.1 points) in Montecito, lower than in Santa Barbara County (47.6%).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 7.9% (±2.5 points) in Montecito, lower than in Santa Barbara County (21.7%).
- Income and affordability in Montecito
- Commute and cars in Montecito
- Renters and owners in Montecito
- Types of homes in Montecito
Housing in Montecito at a glance
- Median rent: $3,500 or more median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $3,500 or more median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 52.5% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 24.2% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $231,005 median household income
- Home values: $2,000,000 or more median home value
- Homeowner costs: $4,000 or more median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $10,000 or more median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 7.9% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 70.0% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 64.3% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 7.6% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 73.4% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 18.4 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +9.5% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 20.3% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 1.2% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Montecito against Santa Barbara County, its state and the nation
| Montecito | Santa Barbara County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 9,031 (±666) | 443,701 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 4,092 (±269) | 160,592 (±195) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 24.2% (±5.1 points) | 47.6% (±0.9 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $3,500 or more | $2,131 (±$35) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $231,005 (±$9,799) | $98,161 (±$2,430) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $2,000,000 or more | $790,700 (±$17,571) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $10,000 or more | $5,103 (±$149) | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 64.3% (±7.1 points) | 60.0% (±1.3 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 18.4 minutes (±2.8) | 20.8 minutes (±0.4) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 95.6% (±2.8 points) | 92.5% (±0.5 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 50.0 years (±5.7) | 34.6 years (±0.1) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Montecito covers 9.2 square miles of land, about 983 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Montecito has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 8,245 (±587) | 9,031 (±666) | +9.5% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 4,252 (±137) | 4,092 (±269) | −3.8% | Not a measurable change |
| Median household income | $159,706 (±$21,671) | $231,005 (±$9,799) | +44.6% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 27.5% (±4.4 points) | 24.2% (±5.1 points) | −3.3 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.4% (±0.7 points) | 7.6% (±5.3 points) | +7.2 percentage points | Measurable increase |
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.
Crime reported to police in Santa Barbara County
Montecito has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Santa Barbara County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Santa Barbara County recorded 419 violent and 1,255 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Montecito
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93108 | 33% | 11,526 | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | $230,419 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Montecito
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summerland | 2.6 mi | — | $2,000,000 or more | 35.7% |
| Toro Canyon | 4.1 mi | $2,179 | $2,000,000 or more | 14.1% |
| Santa Barbara | 4.7 mi | $2,413 | $1,570,800 | 60.1% |
| Mission Canyon | 5.4 mi | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | 28.9% |
| Carpinteria | 7.9 mi | $2,377 | $1,043,100 | 38.5% |
| Eastern Goleta Valley | 8.9 mi | $2,964 | $1,361,700 | 25.4% |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | 12 mi | $1,526 | $452,900 | 85.3% |
| Goleta | 13 mi | $2,437 | $1,062,100 | 49.3% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Montecito, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,479 | $2,711 | $3,106 | $3,990 | $4,557 |
HUD income limits for Montecito, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $38,300 | $63,750 | $102,000 |
| 2 people | $43,750 | $72,850 | $116,600 |
| 3 people | $49,200 | $81,950 | $131,150 |
| 4 people | $54,650 | $91,050 | $145,700 |
| 5 people | $59,050 | $98,350 | $157,400 |
| 6 people | $63,400 | $105,650 | $169,050 |
| 7 people | $67,800 | $112,950 | $180,700 |
| 8 people | $72,150 | $120,200 | $192,350 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $118,600.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Montecito 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 Montecito
What is the average rent in Montecito, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Montecito is $3,500 or more a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Montecito?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Montecito, CA is $3,500 or more a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Montecito rent-burdened?
52.5% of renting households in Montecito pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Montecito?
Montecito has an estimated 822 (±176) renting households, 24.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Montecito?
The median household income in Montecito is $231,005 (±$9,799) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Montecito, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $2,000,000 or more for owner-occupied homes in Montecito (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Montecito growing?
In Montecito, the number of residents went from 8,245 in 2015–2019 to 9,031 in 2020–2024 (+9.5%), not a measurable change.
What ZIP codes are in Montecito?
The ZIP code that covers Montecito is 93108.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 93108?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 93108 is $3,500 or more a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Montecito CDP, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Montecito CDP, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Montecito CDP, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Montecito CDP, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Montecito CDP, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Montecito CDP, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Montecito CDP, California
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
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 Montecito CDP, California (place:48844, in state:06).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
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.
Figures last updated on .