2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Chapel Hill, NC vs Santa Barbara, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Santa Barbara, is 16% more than it is in Chapel Hill and is 23% above the National Average.
- Chapel Hill unemployment rate is 3.2%.
- Santa Barbara unemployment rate is 4.1%.
 Chapel Hill, NCSanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.8%1.6%
 Future Job Growth36.9%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$44,029  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$89,243$69,021
 Family Median Income$153,588  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Chapel Hill, NCSanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock8.4%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K2.6%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock4.4%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K6.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.3%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.2%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.9%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K8.6%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock16.1%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K9.5%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock19.6%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Chapel Hill, NCSanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance17.6%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock8.7%6.5%
 Community, social services1.3%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.3%1.2%
 Education, library15.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock3.3%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology10.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.7%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.2%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.3%5.4%
 Building maintenance2.1%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.2%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support14.0%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.7%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair2.2%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock6.7%13.1%
Reviews for Chapel Hill    16 Reviews

Between my wife and I, we've lived in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and Chapel Hill, and it's Chapel Hill we prefer. Franklin Street is always lively with an eclectic mix of  More

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I am not sure if Bert has actually been to the Triangle, but for starters, Durham, as Chapel Hill residents know and envy, is and has been for 5 yrs now a vibrant  More

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someone told me they live in the hills/mountains right near chapel hill, and the summers are much cooler there, while the town itself is easily accessible. is this  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 4 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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