What percentage of people rent in Santa Barbara, CA?

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

60.1% (±1.8 points) of the occupied homes in Santa Barbara, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 21,825 renting households against 14,466 that own their home.

In Santa Barbara, the share of households that rent went from 59.3% in 2015–2019 to 60.1% in 2020–2024 (+0.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 60.1% (±1.8 points)
Renting households: 21,825 (±818)
Median renter income: $83,804 (±$5,457)

Who rents and who owns in Santa Barbara

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	60.1% (±1.8 points)	47.6% (±0.9 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	21,825 (±818)	71,264 (±1,376)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	14,466 (±678)	78,344 (±1,317)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.3 (±0.1)	2.9 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.4 (±0.1)	2.8 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$83,804 (±$5,457)	$70,675 (±$2,599)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$167,500 (±$9,658)	$131,935 (±$4,489)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Santa Barbara, 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, Santa Barbara ranks 4 of 22 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 75 of 1,076.

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

How renting in Santa Barbara 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	59.3% (±1.4 points)	60.1% (±1.8 points)	+0.8 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,786 (±$37)	$2,413 (±$62)	+35.1%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$76,606 (±$3,015)	$106,182 (±$5,647)	+38.6%	Up 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 Santa Barbara

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Santa Barbara
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Santa Barbara	—	60.1% (±1.8 points)	—
Mission Canyon	3.6 mi	28.9% (±10.8 points)	Lower
Montecito	4.7 mi	24.2% (±5.1 points)	Lower
Eastern Goleta Valley	4.9 mi	25.4% (±3.3 points)	Lower
Summerland	7.3 mi	35.7% (±18.1 points)	Lower
University of California-Santa Barbara	7.6 mi	85.3% (±10.4 points)	Higher
Isla Vista	8.4 mi	98.8% (±0.7 points)	Higher
Goleta	8.6 mi	49.3% (±3.0 points)	Lower
Toro Canyon	8.8 mi	14.1% (±8.1 points)	Lower

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

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

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)

Showing 10 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 Santa Barbara

How many renters are there in Santa Barbara?

Santa Barbara has an estimated 21,825 (±818) renting households, 60.1% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Santa Barbara?

In Santa Barbara, the share of households that rent went from 59.3% in 2015–2019 to 60.1% in 2020–2024 (+0.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Santa Barbara?

A renting household in Santa Barbara has 2.3 people on average, against 2.4 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Santa Barbara?

The median renting household in Santa Barbara, CA has an income of $83,804 (±$5,457) a year, against $167,500 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 Santa Barbara city, California (place:69070, 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.