2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Goleta, CA vs Lake Forest, CA

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Lake Forest, is 12% more than it is in Goleta and is 41% above the National Average.
- Goleta unemployment rate is 3.9%.
- Lake Forest unemployment rate is 5.6%.
 Goleta, CALake Forest, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock5.6%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.6%1.6%
 Future Job Growth27.7%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$44,410  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$117,374$69,021
 Family Median Income$121,233  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Goleta, CALake Forest, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock4.9%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K1.5%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock2.9%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K4.0%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock4.1%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K5.7%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock6.9%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.7%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock19.0%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K13.4%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock22.5%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Goleta, CALake Forest, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance17.6%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock11.3%6.5%
 Community, social services1.6%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.4%1.2%
 Education, library10.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.8%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.1%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement0.8%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock4.4%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.1%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.1%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support16.8%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.2%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair5.3%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock7.8%13.1%
Reviews for Goleta    2 Reviews

Lived in this area 2014-now (2022), Goleta for 4 years of that. Pros: *The climate is unbeatable, unless you enjoy being overly hot or cold, or snow sports which  More

   |    Reply

I live in Goleta and work part-time in Santa Barbara. I am semi-retired and have a decent income. Making wise choices of where to spend my income has always been  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Goleta

Reviews for Lake Forest    16 Reviews

I've lived in Lake Forest for over a decade, before that elsewhere in OC and also up in LA. Lake Forest isn't perfect but it's really improved over the past decade,  More

   |    Reply

As a retired senior who has lived in Lake Forest (formerly El Toro) since 1977 I think LF is a great place if you can afford it. When we moved here in June '77 homes  More

   |    Reply

I’ve lived here for 2 years. Ok, it’s more like a 4 but there are so many idiots downplaying what it’s like here and giving Lake Forest ones and twos. There are a lot of  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Lake Forest


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.