2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Santa Barbara, CA vs Scotts Valley, CA

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Scotts Valley, is 28% more than it is in Santa Barbara and is 40% above the National Average.
- Santa Barbara unemployment rate is 4.1%.
- Scotts Valley unemployment rate is 8.1%.
 Santa Barbara, CAScotts Valley, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock8.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.8%1.6%
 Future Job Growth28.2%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes8.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$54,426  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$114,504$69,021
 Family Median Income$118,228  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Santa Barbara, CAScotts Valley, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock5.9%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K2.8%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock1.2%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K5.4%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock3.2%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.4%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.5%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.4%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock15.5%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K10.4%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock24.5%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Santa Barbara, CAScotts Valley, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance19.8%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock16.0%6.5%
 Community, social services2.1%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.2%1.2%
 Education, library5.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock3.9%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.4%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement0.9%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock3.9%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.9%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock1.7%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support19.0%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair5.5%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock5.3%13.1%
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

Reviews for Scotts Valley    4 Reviews

Over 2 years ago

We lived and worked in Scotts Valley for a number of years. It's a nice enough city, safe and clean unlike some areas of Santa Cruz. It's well managed and the schools  More

   |    Reply

Over 7 years ago

Great weather and small town feel but it is changing rapidly  More

   |    Reply

Over 11 years ago

Scotts Valley is an ideal, small town with many wonderful features. It's just 10 minutes from the beaches in nearby Santa Cruz yet doesn't get the wet fog because it's  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Scotts Valley


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.