2026 Compare Cities Job Market:
Alpena, MI vs Santa Barbara, CA

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Highlights
- Job Growth in Santa Barbara has been positive.
- Santa Barbara has 1.9% more unemployment than Alpena.
- Santa Barbara job growth has increased by 2.7% in the past 10 years.
 Alpena, MISanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Current Unemployment  Unlock4.1%6.0%
 Future Job Growth22.6%  Unlock33.5%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock-6.5%-6.2%
 3 Yr. Job Growth-4.8%  Unlock-3.6%
 5 Yr. Job Growth  Unlock-3.5%-0.7%
 10 Yr. Job Growth-0.8%  Unlock6.3%
Reviews for Alpena    5 Reviews

One of the ten best places to visit in Michigan. I was born and raised in Michigan but now live in Seattle. I get back to Michigan frequently because my brother  More

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Over 13 years ago

Alpena is 740 ft above sea leval and gets 72 in. of snow every year. That's a good thing and Alpena is a winter wonderland for me . Clean and crisp with the lake frozen  More

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Alpena is a town for all ages, with plenty to do, more than one person could attend. I think the events are varied and offer something for everyone. The town is  More

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Reviews for Santa Barbara    51 Reviews

I moved to Santa Barbara around 23 years ago to study at Brooks, which like most of the Santa Barbara that I knew—has been destroyed. Homelessness, drugs, gangs, high  More

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Over 5 years ago

I fell in love with Santa Barbara about thirty years ago and finally moved here a few years ago. Because of the price of homes, it is an expensive place to live. The  More

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If you like high crime, paying a $4,500 a month mortgage and crazy high taxes, this is the place for you. It’s too bad because it wasn’t always like this. When I moved  More

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