2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Santa Maria, CA vs Poway, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Poway, is 64% more than it is in Santa Maria and is 42% above the National Average.
- Santa Maria unemployment rate is 11.6%.
- Poway unemployment rate is 4.9%.
 Santa Maria, CAPoway, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.9%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.4%1.6%
 Future Job Growth24.9%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes8.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$23,537  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$119,847$69,021
 Family Median Income$70,973  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Santa Maria, CAPoway, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock3.7%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.3%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock3.7%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.7%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock5.1%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.1%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.7%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K17.4%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock18.0%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K7.5%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock25.4%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Santa Maria, CAPoway, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance8.5%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock13.7%6.5%
 Community, social services1.3%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.5%1.2%
 Education, library3.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.6%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology2.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.9%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.8%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock3.6%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.0%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.4%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support17.2%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair8.5%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock6.2%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 Poway    10 Reviews

Over 4 years ago

Poway is a great place to live. People are friendly, neighbors watch out for each other. Great trails, beautiful views. Love to hear the birds. Family oriented. Yes  More

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Over 5 years ago

Moved here 37 years ago and love the birds singing in the morning, minimal traffic noise, and convenience to Carmel Mountain Ranch for shopping. Easy access to the  More

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I've lived here for 30 years. Back 30 years ago it was great. Small town, friendly people, etc. NOW Traffic is pretty bad but still better than most of SD county. I'm  More

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