2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Huntington Beach, CA vs Santa Barbara, CA

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Santa Barbara, is 15% less than it is in Huntington Beach and is 23% above the National Average.
- Huntington Beach unemployment rate is 6.3%.
- Santa Barbara unemployment rate is 4.1%.
 Huntington Beach, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.8%1.6%
 Future Job Growth31.3%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$54,654  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$89,243$69,021
 Family Median Income$123,667  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Huntington Beach, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock8.4%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K2.1%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock4.4%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K4.6%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.3%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K4.9%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.9%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K13.4%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock16.1%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K11.0%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock19.6%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Huntington Beach, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance22.4%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock8.7%6.5%
 Community, social services2.1%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.3%1.2%
 Education, library6.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock3.3%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.7%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.1%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.3%5.4%
 Building maintenance2.2%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.2%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.4%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.7%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair5.1%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock6.7%13.1%
Reviews for Huntington Beach    33 Reviews

Lived here for a couple months now. Love the beach and the weather. Nice boardwalk to walk or ride your bike. Overall nice clean feel and vibe. Only move here if you  More

   |    Reply

Over 7 years ago

Overdevelopment has ruined the city, Housing is overpriced - overseas investors, corporate housing, sober living houses (there are many throughout the city) and AirB&B  More

   |    Reply

Over 10 years ago

The population of Huntington Beach is much more than that. It was actually 199,189 according to the city's  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Huntington Beach

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


Learn More About Huntington Beach, California
Overview
Cost of Living
Job Market
Crime
Climate
Economy
Religion
Voting
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.