2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Goleta, CA vs Santa Barbara, CA

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Santa Barbara, is 15% less than it is in Goleta and is 23% above the National Average.
- Goleta unemployment rate is 3.9%.
- Santa Barbara unemployment rate is 4.1%.
 Goleta, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.8%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$89,243$69,021
 Family Median Income$121,233  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Goleta, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock8.4%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K1.5%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock4.4%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K4.0%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.3%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K5.7%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.9%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.7%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock16.1%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K13.4%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock19.6%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Goleta, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance17.6%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock8.7%6.5%
 Community, social services1.6%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.3%1.2%
 Education, library10.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock3.3%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.7%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement0.8%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.3%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.1%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.2%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support16.8%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.7%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair5.3%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock6.7%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 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

   |    Reply

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

   |    Reply

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

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Santa Barbara


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.