What kinds of homes are in Santa Maria, CA?

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

Santa Maria, CA has 30,482 (±742) homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is about 1,336 homes per square mile of land.

60.3% are detached single-family houses.

8.5% are in buildings of two to four units.

20.8% are in buildings of five or more units.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Housing units: 30,482 (±742)
Detached houses: 60.3%
2–4 unit buildings: 8.5%
5+ unit buildings: 20.8%

Homes in Santa Maria by building size

Housing units by units in structure, 2020–2024
Building type	Santa Maria	Santa Barbara County	California	United States
Single-family, detached	60.3% (±2.1 points)	56.1%	57.0%	61.3%
Single-family, attached (townhouse, rowhouse)	6.0% (±1.2 points)	8.3%	7.4%	6.2%
2 units	2.9% (±0.9 points)	3.4%	2.4%	3.4%
3 or 4 units	5.6% (±1.1 points)	5.9%	5.4%	4.3%
5 to 9 units	6.4% (±1.4 points)	7.1%	5.7%	4.5%
10 to 19 units	6.0% (±1.2 points)	6.0%	4.9%	4.3%
20 or more units	8.4% (±1.3 points)	8.6%	13.6%	10.3%
Mobile home	4.3% (±0.8 points)	4.6%	3.5%	5.6%
Boat, RV, van, etc.	0.1% (±0.2 points)	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%

In Santa Maria, the share of homes in buildings of five or more units is not measurably different from Santa Barbara County (21.7%).

It is also lower than in California (24.2%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (19.1%).

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units in places near Santa Maria

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Santa Maria
Place	Distance	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units	Compared with this place
Santa Maria	—	20.8% (±2.3 points)	—
Orcutt	4.6 mi	5.3% (±1.9 points)	Lower
Nipomo	7.4 mi	5.2% (±3.2 points)	Lower
Guadalupe	7.7 mi	6.4% (±3.6 points)	Lower
Woodlands	9.0 mi	0.0% (±5.5 points)	Lower
Callender	11 mi	0.0% (±8.0 points)	Lower
Vandenberg AFB	15 mi	5.0% (±6.8 points)	Lower
Oceano	15 mi	4.4% (±2.7 points)	Lower
Vandenberg Village	15 mi	3.6% (±3.0 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Orcutt, CA (5.3%), Nipomo, CA (5.2%), Guadalupe, CA (6.4%).

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

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units across Santa Barbara County, place by place

Rank	Place	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units
1	Isla Vista	71.7% (±8.0 points)
2	University of California-Santa Barbara	58.9% (±12.3 points)
3	Goleta	31.3% (±3.8 points)
4	Santa Barbara	29.9% (±2.3 points)
5	Carpinteria	29.3% (±6.4 points)
6	Solvang	26.7% (±9.5 points)
7	Santa Maria	20.8% (±2.3 points)
8	Lompoc	20.4% (±3.0 points)
9	Buellton	14.6% (±8.4 points)
10	Toro Canyon	13.5% (±9.5 points)
11	Summerland	12.3% (±15.0 points)
12	Santa Ynez	8.2% (±5.1 points)
13	Montecito	7.9% (±2.5 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).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Santa Maria

How many homes are in Santa Maria?

Santa Maria, CA has an estimated 30,482 (±742) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Are most homes in Santa Maria houses or apartments?

60.3% are detached houses and 6.0% attached houses, while 29.3% are in buildings of two or more units.

How many two-family and small multifamily homes are in Santa Maria?

8.5% of homes in Santa Maria are in buildings of two to four units, the small rental buildings that are often owner-occupied.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Maria city, California

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 Maria city, California (place:69196, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0007PE, DP04_0007PM, DP04_0008PE, DP04_0008PM, DP04_0009PE, DP04_0009PM, DP04_0010PE, DP04_0010PM, DP04_0011PE, DP04_0011PM, DP04_0012PE, DP04_0012PM, DP04_0013PE, DP04_0013PM, DP04_0014PE, DP04_0014PM, DP04_0015PE, DP04_0015PM

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.