Santa Barbara, CA: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Santa Barbara (Spanish: Santa Bárbara, meaning 'Saint Barbara') is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting Alaska, the city lies between the steeply rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Santa Barbara's climate is often described as Mediterranean, and the city has been dubbed "The American Riviera". As of the 2020 census, Santa Barbara had a population of 88,665. In addition to being a popular tourist and resort destination, the city has a diverse economy that includes a large service sector, education, techn…

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From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Santa Barbara ranks

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#38Shortest commute in CA #169Most educated in CA #211Highest graduation rate in CA All CA rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code93101, 93102, 93103

Area code805

Living in Santa Barbara

Housing in Santa Barbara

$1.82M▲ 4.6% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Santa Barbara home is worth about $1,824,000, up 4.6% in a year, 139% above the California typical home.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market40

Sale-to-list98.4%

Sold in May60

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Santa Barbara

C⁻

Safety Grade C-

Santa Barbara reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 85% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Santa Barbara 6.4

California 4.3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Santa Barbara 16.5

California 18.2

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Schools in Santa Barbara

All Santa Barbara schools →

C

School Grade C

The public schools Santa Barbara’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 73% of California’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

See how Santa Barbara’s schools compare in CA →

DistrictSanta Barbara UnifiedSchools31

Peabody CharterElementary · Grades K–6 · 780 students Washington ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 477 students Adams Elementary D-Elementary · Grades K–6 · 469 students Roosevelt ElementaryElementary · Grades K–6 · 463 students Franklin Elementary D-Elementary · Grades K–6 · 424 students Harding University Partnership D-Elementary · Grades K–6 · 364 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within CA. Ratings are from neighbors.