2025 Compare Cities Job Market:
Irvine, CA vs Santa Barbara, CA

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Highlights
- Job Growth in Santa Barbara has been positive.
- Santa Barbara has 1.3% more unemployment than Irvine.
- Santa Barbara job growth has increased by 2.7% in the past 10 years.
 Irvine, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Current Unemployment  Unlock4.1%6.0%
 Future Job Growth40.2%  Unlock33.5%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock-6.5%-6.2%
 3 Yr. Job Growth-4.9%  Unlock-3.6%
 5 Yr. Job Growth  Unlock-3.5%-0.7%
 10 Yr. Job Growth31.1%  Unlock6.3%
Reviews for Irvine    42 Reviews

We've lived in Irvine since '87. We have raised two children within the ISUD. Both are grown up. Sure, there have been many changes since then.. the City has  More

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I've lived in Irvine for 2 years and in Orange County for 10 so I'm pretty familiar with the area by now and all it has to offer. Perhaps my review of this place has  More

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I wouldn't live elsewhere. I originally moved to Irvine in 2002 from the Midwest, not knowing what it even was. I left and moved around a great deal locally in OC,  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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