2025 Compare Cities People:
Merced, CA vs Santa Barbara, CA

Change Cities
Highlights
- Santa Barbara is 0% more densely populated than Merced.
- People are 5.7% more likely to be married in Santa Barbara.
- The Median Age is 9.5 years older in Santa Barbara.
 Merced, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Population  Unlock89,132329,725,481
 Female Population50.4%  Unlock50.5%
 Male Population49.7%  Unlock49.5%
 Median Age  Unlock39.138.4
 space3
 Population - 201079,097  Unlock309,327,143
 Population - 2000  Unlock92,325285,036,114
 Population - 199056,216  Unlock251,960,433
 Pop. 2000 to Now  Unlock-2.2%15.6%
 Pop. 1990 to Now57.0%  Unlock30.8%
 space4
 Population Density  Unlock4,570.493.4
 Land Area23.2  Unlock3,531,905.4
 Water Area  Unlock22.5264,836.8
 space
 Est. Total Population By Age
 Merced, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Age 0 to 47.3%  Unlock5.9%
 Age 5 to 9  Unlock4.3%6.1%
 Age 10 to 148.8%  Unlock6.6%
 Age 15 to 17  Unlock2.9%3.9%
 Age 18 to 206.0%  Unlock4.0%
 Age 21 to 24  Unlock6.9%5.2%
 Age 25 to 3415.5%  Unlock13.8%
 Age 35 to 44  Unlock11.2%12.9%
 Age 45 to 5410.4%  Unlock12.6%
 Age 55 to 59  Unlock6.5%6.7%
 Age 60 to 644.1%  Unlock6.3%
 Age 65 to 74  Unlock11.1%9.6%
 Age 75 to 842.7%  Unlock4.5%
 Age 85 and over  Unlock3.2%1.9%
 space1
 Race
 Merced, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 White23.8%  Unlock59.4%
 Black  Unlock1.5%12.2%
 Asian10.8%  Unlock5.6%
 Native American  Unlock0.2%0.6%
 Hawaiian, Pacific Islander0.0%  Unlock0.2%
 Other  Unlock0.6%0.4%
 Two or More Races2.7%  Unlock3.2%
 Hispanic  Unlock36.2%18.4%
 space2
 Marriage & Family
 Merced, CASanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Married Population40.8%  Unlock49.8%
     Currently Married  Unlock41.0%48.0%
 Married but Separated2.7%  Unlock1.8%
 Single Population  Unlock56.9%50.2%
 Never Married44.5%  Unlock33.8%
 Divorced  Unlock11.1%10.8%
 Widowed4.9%  Unlock5.6%
 space5
 Household Size  Unlock2.382.60
 Households26,673  Unlock124,010,992
 Family Households  Unlock19,54680,755,759
     Married couple, w/children29.1%  Unlock30.5%
     Married couple, no children  Unlock48.6%42.9%
 Non Family Households7,789  Unlock43,255,233
     Single householder, w/children  Unlock16.2%15.8%
     Single householder, no children13.7%  Unlock10.8%
Reviews for Merced    44 Reviews

Merced is totally slept on - you want a little bit of everything CA has to offer, at a fraction of the price of other CA cities? Merced is the place to go. The town  More

   |    Reply

Over 5 years ago

Good place to live. More affordable than most of california. The city is growing and there is alot of business and growth here. Moved from the Bay area years ago and  More

   |    Reply

Great place to live. Lots of progress and changes coming to the city. Great place to raise a family. UC Merced is expanding and businesses are investing. Downtown is  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Merced

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.