2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Santa Maria, CA vs Hilo, HI

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Highlights
- Household income in Hilo, is 4% less than it is in Santa Maria and is 2% above the National Average.
- Santa Maria unemployment rate is 11.6%.
- Hilo unemployment rate is 8.4%.
 Santa Maria, CAHilo, HIUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock8.4%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock-0.9%1.6%
 Future Job Growth24.9%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes8.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.3%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$23,537  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$70,356$69,021
 Family Median Income$70,973  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Santa Maria, CAHilo, HIUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock11.7%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.3%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock8.8%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.7%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock5.5%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.1%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock9.1%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K17.4%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock17.0%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K7.5%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock7.1%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Santa Maria, CAHilo, HIUnited States
 Management, business, finance8.5%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock5.4%6.5%
 Community, social services1.3%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.7%1.2%
 Education, library3.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.5%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology2.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock2.2%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.8%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock6.3%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.0%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.6%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support17.2%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock1.5%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair8.5%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock8.0%13.1%
Reviews for Santa Maria    12 Reviews

Over 6 years ago

I live in Orcutt which is a town of around 35,000 on the south side of Santa Maria. Santa Maria has, as everyone has noted, the best climate in the world. It never  More

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I have lived in Santa Maria / Orcutt for several years, but it is time to leave. I have no issues with the weather. Our climate is mild and comfortable with no extremes.  More

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The weather is very mild without a huge temperature change with the seasons. The winters are chilly but not cold and the summers are warm but not hot. Of course there  More

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Reviews for Hilo    10 Reviews

If you’re looking at Hilo, then you’re likely being recruited in the medical or education fields. These are where the greatest needs of the community lie, and there are  More

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Over 4 years ago

I enjoyed living in Hawaii County for a number of years, most in Hilo. While Hilo has problems, they are few compared to mainland USA. I never experienced racism by  More

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Over 4 years ago

Too much racism from "native Hawaiians" who aren't actually natives. That keeps me from living in that paradise. I'm this is the "natives" goal.  More

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