Santa Barbara County is a county in California, United States, on the Central Coast about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles. It had a population of 448,229 at the 2020 census, an estimated 442,000 by 2025, and covers 2,735 square miles (7,084 km2) of land centred near 34°50′N 120°10′W.<\/p>\n
Santa Barbara is the county seat, and Santa Maria is the county’s largest city; the seat’s main postal code is 93101. The county holds 8 incorporated cities and 9 unincorporated communities across no civil townships — California counties do not use the township system — and it runs on Pacific Time. Its FIPS code is 06083.<\/p>\n
Santa Barbara County has 17 recognized places on this page: 8 incorporated cities and 9 census-designated places (CDPs, unincorporated communities the Census Bureau tracks separately). Vandenberg Space Force Base, an active military installation, is listed separately below the table.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | 88,665<\/td>\n | 93101–93111<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Santa Maria<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 109,707<\/td>\n | 93454–93458<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lompoc<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 44,444<\/td>\n | 93436<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Goleta<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 32,690<\/td>\n | 93117<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Carpinteria<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 13,264<\/td>\n | 93013<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Guadalupe<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 8,057<\/td>\n | 93434<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Solvang<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 6,126<\/td>\n | 93463<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Buellton<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 5,161<\/td>\n | 93427<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Isla Vista<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 15,500<\/td>\n | 93117<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Orcutt<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 32,034<\/td>\n | 93455<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Montecito<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 8,638<\/td>\n | 93108<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Vandenberg Village<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 7,308<\/td>\n | 93436<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Santa Ynez<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 4,505<\/td>\n | 93460<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Los Alamos<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 1,839<\/td>\n | 93440<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Summerland<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 1,222<\/td>\n | 93067<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Los Olivos<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 1,202<\/td>\n | 93441<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Vandenberg SFB<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 93437<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Two pairs share a ZIP: Lompoc’s city ZIP (93436) also covers Vandenberg Village, and Isla Vista shares 93117 with Goleta — both are census-recognized places carved from a larger postal service area, not duplicate entries. Vandenberg Space Force Base was renamed from Vandenberg Air Force Base on May 14, 2021; it is a working space-launch range, not a residential CDP, so the Census Bureau does not publish a population for it.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nEvery place on this list keeps its own ZIP or shares one with the city that delivers its mail; none of the 17 runs on a rural-route-only address.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nThe Santa Ynez Mountains split the county into a South Coast strip — Santa Barbara, Montecito, Carpinteria, Goleta — and a wider North County of ranchland, vineyards and the Lompoc and Santa Maria valleys. The Santa Ynez River is the county’s principal waterway, running from the mountains west to the Pacific near Surf Beach. Four of the Channel Islands — San Miguel, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and Santa Barbara Island — fall within county boundaries, reached only by boat or small plane. Big Pine Mountain, at 6,820 feet, is the highest point.<\/p>\n Santa Barbara County borders San Luis Obispo County to the north, Kern County to the northeast, Ventura County to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south and west.<\/p>\n Demographics<\/h2>\nThe county had a population of 448,229 at the 2020 census, an estimated 442,000 by 2025. Santa Maria (109,707) and Santa Barbara (88,665) are the two largest communities, together holding nearly half the county’s residents. Median household income is $98,161, above California’s statewide median. Population density works out to roughly 164 people per square mile of land, concentrated heavily on the South Coast and in the Santa Maria Valley.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nHealth care and social assistance is the largest employment sector, with about 25,500 workers, followed by educational services (23,700) and retail trade (19,350). UC Santa Barbara, enrolling 26,133 students as of fall 2024, is one of the county’s largest employers alongside Cottage Health and the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria-Bonita school districts. Strawberries are the top agricultural crop, worth over $413 million a year, and the Santa Ynez Valley’s Sta. Rita Hills AVA has built a national reputation for Pinot Noir since the 2004 film “Sideways.” Vandenberg Space Force Base hosts military, NASA and commercial launches, including regular SpaceX flights. Old Spanish Days Fiesta, a five-day heritage festival, fills downtown Santa Barbara every early August.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nThe Chumash people lived along this coast for thousands of years before Spanish contact. Explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno sailed through the channel on Saint Barbara’s feast day in 1602, giving the area its name. Mission Santa Bárbara was founded in 1786, the tenth of California’s 21 missions. Santa Barbara County was established on February 18, 1850, as one of California’s original 27 counties at statehood. A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Santa Barbara in 1925, destroying much of the downtown and prompting the Spanish Colonial Revival rebuilding that still defines the city’s look. The county’s wine industry, concentrated around Santa Ynez and Los Olivos, expanded rapidly from the 1970s onward.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nNo interstate highway crosses Santa Barbara County. U.S. Route 101 is the main north–south corridor, running the length of the county from Ventura County to San Luis Obispo County. State Route 154 crosses San Marcos Pass into the Santa Ynez Valley, and State Route 1 hugs the coast through Lompoc and Vandenberg.<\/p>\n
|