2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Northfield, MN vs Santa Barbara, CA

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Santa Barbara, is 21% more than it is in Northfield and is 23% above the National Average.
- Northfield unemployment rate is 4.2%.
- Santa Barbara unemployment rate is 4.1%.
 Northfield, MNSanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.8%1.6%
 Future Job Growth37.9%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$33,248  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$89,243$69,021
 Family Median Income$102,012  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Northfield, MNSanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock8.4%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K2.9%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock4.4%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.7%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.3%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.8%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.9%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K13.1%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock16.1%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K9.8%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock19.6%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Northfield, MNSanta Barbara, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance11.5%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock8.7%6.5%
 Community, social services1.8%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.3%1.2%
 Education, library13.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock3.3%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology3.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.7%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement0.9%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.3%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.5%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.2%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support21.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.7%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair5.5%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock6.7%13.1%
Reviews for Northfield    5 Reviews

The city has nothing really to offer but high taxes and bad streets and sidewalks. Winter is really bad as the city sidewalks are barely passable. You usually can not  More

   |    Reply

For a town of 20 thousand, the amount of cars on the road at any given time is absolutely insane. Residents will tell you it's no secret that the drivers here are  More

   |    Reply

I've lived in Northfield for almost 14 years now, owning my own home here the entire time. I'm originally from the Twin Cities, and moved to Northfield after several  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Northfield

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 5 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.