Housing data for Santa Ynez, CA
Santa Ynez, CA has an estimated 4,467 residents and 1,852 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County.
35.1% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,969 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 4,467 (±878)
- Housing units
- 1,852 (±218)
- Households that rent
- 35.1%
- Median gross rent
- $1,969
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −1.7%
What stands out in Santa Ynez
Median real estate taxes: $8,542 (±$1,886) in Santa Ynez, higher than in Santa Barbara County ($5,103).
Median home value: $1,163,000 (±$76,529) in Santa Ynez, higher than in Santa Barbara County ($790,700).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 8.2% (±5.1 points) in Santa Ynez, lower than in Santa Barbara County (21.7%).
Households that rent: 35.1% (±10.9 points) in Santa Ynez, lower than in Santa Barbara County (47.6%).
- Property taxes in Santa Ynez
- Home values in Santa Ynez
- Types of homes in Santa Ynez
- Renters and owners in Santa Ynez
Housing in Santa Ynez at a glance
- Median rent: $1,969 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,734 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 50.5% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 35.1% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $110,781 median household income
- Home values: $1,163,000 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $4,000 or more median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $8,542 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 8.2% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 73.2% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 55.1% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 9.8% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 72.6% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 26.9 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −1.7% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 24.2% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 2.4% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Santa Ynez against Santa Barbara County, its state and the nation
| Santa Ynez | Santa Barbara County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 4,467 (±878) | 443,701 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 1,852 (±218) | 160,592 (±195) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 35.1% (±10.9 points) | 47.6% (±0.9 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,969 (±$1,359) | $2,131 (±$35) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $110,781 (±$24,650) | $98,161 (±$2,430) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $1,163,000 (±$76,529) | $790,700 (±$17,571) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $8,542 (±$1,886) | $5,103 (±$149) | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 55.1% (±13.2 points) | 60.0% (±1.3 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 26.9 minutes (±5.2) | 20.8 minutes (±0.4) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 91.5% (±5.8 points) | 92.5% (±0.5 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 37.8 years (±10.0) | 34.6 years (±0.1) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Santa Ynez covers 4.8 square miles of land, about 925 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Santa Ynez has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 4,546 (±515) | 4,467 (±878) | −1.7% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 1,827 (±131) | 1,852 (±218) | +1.4% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $1,425 (±$416) | $1,969 (±$1,359) | +38.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $854,300 (±$36,965) | $1,163,000 (±$76,529) | +36.1% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $107,588 (±$28,336) | $110,781 (±$24,650) | +3.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $6,338 (±$597) | $8,542 (±$1,886) | +34.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 25.7% (±8.8 points) | 35.1% (±10.9 points) | +9.4 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 9.3% (±13.8 points) | 9.8% (±14.2 points) | +0.5 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
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
Santa Ynez 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.
Places near Santa Ynez
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solvang | 3.0 mi | $1,666 | $949,600 | 43.0% |
| Los Olivos | 3.3 mi | $2,194 | $1,522,700 | 11.8% |
| Buellton | 5.6 mi | $2,194 | $837,400 | 41.3% |
| Los Alamos | 13 mi | $2,882 | $831,300 | 25.5% |
| Goleta | 18 mi | $2,437 | $1,062,100 | 49.3% |
| Isla Vista | 20 mi | $1,878 | $1,218,800 | 98.8% |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | 20 mi | $1,526 | $452,900 | 85.3% |
| Mission Hills | 20 mi | $1,838 | $492,900 | 18.7% |
Places in California most like Santa Ynez
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoma | $2,226 | $970,500 | $98,527 | 35.0% |
| Aptos | $2,059 | $1,093,300 | $134,048 | 28.9% |
| Boyes Hot Springs | $1,876 | $783,300 | $101,288 | 39.3% |
| Soquel | $2,266 | $957,300 | $118,777 | 27.3% |
| Martinez | $2,353 | $859,800 | $127,355 | 29.2% |
| Benicia | $2,280 | $810,000 | $121,204 | 30.5% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across California.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Santa Ynez, 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 Santa Ynez, 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.
Santa Ynez 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 Santa Ynez
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Santa Ynez?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Santa Ynez, CA is $496 (±$244) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Santa Ynez rent-burdened?
50.5% of renting households in Santa Ynez 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 Santa Ynez?
Santa Ynez has an estimated 559 (±200) renting households, 35.1% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Santa Ynez?
The median household income in Santa Ynez is $110,781 (±$24,650) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Santa Ynez, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $1,163,000 (±$76,529) for owner-occupied homes in Santa Ynez (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Santa Ynez?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Santa Ynez, CA is $4,000 or more a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
Is Santa Ynez growing?
In Santa Ynez, the number of residents went from 4,546 in 2015–2019 to 4,467 in 2020–2024 (−1.7%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Ynez CDP, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Ynez CDP, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Ynez CDP, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Ynez CDP, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Ynez CDP, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Ynez CDP, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Santa Ynez 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
- 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 Santa Ynez CDP, California (place:70182, 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 .