What is the rental vacancy rate in Santa Barbara, CA?

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

The rental vacancy rate in Santa Barbara, CA is 2.9% (±0.9 points) (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

The homeowner vacancy rate is 0.7% (±0.5 points).

2,913 (±400) homes, 7.4% of all housing units, were vacant, a count that includes seasonal homes and homes being sold or rented.

In Santa Barbara, the rental vacancy rate went from 1.7% in 2015–2019 to 2.9% in 2020–2024 (+1.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Rental vacancy rate: 2.9% (±0.9 points)
Homeowner vacancy rate: 0.7% (±0.5 points)
Vacant homes: 2,913 (±400)

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

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara County	California	United States
Rental vacancy rate	2.9% (±0.9 points)	3.3% (±0.6 points)	4.2% (±0.1 points)	5.5%
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.7% (±0.5 points)	0.6% (±0.2 points)	0.8% (±0.1 points)	0.9%
Vacant housing units	2,913 (±400)	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 Santa Barbara, the rental vacancy rate is not measurably different from Santa Barbara County (3.3%).

It is also lower than in California (4.2%).

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

Rental vacancy rate in places near Santa Barbara

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Santa Barbara
Place	Distance	Rental vacancy rate	Compared with this place
Santa Barbara	—	2.9% (±0.9 points)	—
Mission Canyon	3.6 mi	0.0% (±15.1 points)	Not measurably different
Montecito	4.7 mi	7.6% (±5.3 points)	Not measurably different
Eastern Goleta Valley	4.9 mi	3.8% (±3.9 points)	Not measurably different
Summerland	7.3 mi	26.6% (±33.2 points)	Not measurably different
University of California-Santa Barbara	7.6 mi	8.5% (±6.4 points)	Not measurably different
Isla Vista	8.4 mi	2.9% (±2.1 points)	Not measurably different
Goleta	8.6 mi	3.2% (±2.4 points)	Not measurably different
Toro Canyon	8.8 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
6	Carpinteria	5.0% (±7.4 points)
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)

Showing 13 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

Is it hard to find a rental in Santa Barbara?

The rental vacancy rate in Santa Barbara, CA is 2.9% (±0.9 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 Santa Barbara tighter than it was?

In Santa Barbara, the rental vacancy rate went from 1.7% in 2015–2019 to 2.9% in 2020–2024 (+1.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How many homes are vacant in Santa Barbara?

An estimated 2,913 (±400) housing units, 7.4% 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 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_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.