Population
Berkeley
120,223
Santa Barbara
88,024
Median Income
Berkeley
$108,558
Santa Barbara
$101,672
Home Value
Berkeley
$1,351,100
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
Rent
Berkeley
$2,127
Santa Barbara
$2,302
Crime Rate
Berkeley
6.40
Santa Barbara
6.50
Cost of Living
Berkeley
233.6
Santa Barbara
235.7
Avg Temp
Berkeley
N/A
Santa Barbara
N/A
Unemployment
Berkeley
6.0%
Santa Barbara
4.7%
How Similar Are Berkeley & Santa Barbara?
Santa Barbara is Berkeley's #7 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Berkeley
120,223
Santa Barbara
88,024
Berkeley has a 27% larger population than Santa Barbara.
Violent Crime
Berkeley
6.40
Santa Barbara
6.50
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 2% difference.
Property Crime
Berkeley
52.29
Santa Barbara
18.10
Berkeley's property crime is significantly higher than Santa Barbara's — 65% difference.
Political Leaning
Berkeley
21.0%
Santa Barbara
35.1%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Santa Barbara has a stronger Democratic lean (40% difference).
Unemployment
Berkeley
6.0%
Santa Barbara
4.7%
Berkeley has a 22% higher unemployment than Santa Barbara.
Median Income
Berkeley
$108,558
Santa Barbara
$101,672
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Berkeley
$1,351,100
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Berkeley
47.7%
Santa Barbara
36.2%
Berkeley has a 24% higher education than Santa Barbara.
Demographics
Berkeley
54.8%
Santa Barbara
63.3%
Santa Barbara has a 13% higher demographics than Berkeley.
Cost of Living
Berkeley
233.6
Santa Barbara
235.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Berkeley and Santa Barbara share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Berkeley
0
Santa Barbara
Berkeley leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Berkeley leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBerkeley scores 121.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 155.4 in Santa Barbara. Berkeley has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,385 vs $2,746 in Santa Barbara (13% lower). Berkeley has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,912 vs $3,124 in Santa Barbara (7% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Santa Barbara leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Barbara has a vacancy rate of 6.1% compared to 10.3% in Berkeley. Santa Barbara has a median property tax of $7,043 vs $10,001 in Berkeley (42% lower). Santa Barbara has a single-family homes of 55.3% compared to 44.0% in Berkeley.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBerkeley has a work from home of 32.5% compared to 17.0% in Santa Barbara. Berkeley: 66,168 vs Santa Barbara: 48,520 for labor force. Santa Barbara has a unemployment rate of 4.7% compared to 6.0% in Berkeley.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Santa Barbara leads
Source: FBI UCRSanta Barbara has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.70 compared to 6.61 in Berkeley. Santa Barbara has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 18.10 compared to 52.29 in Berkeley. Santa Barbara has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 14.41 compared to 36.56 in Berkeley.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Berkeley leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBerkeley has a bachelor's degree or higher of 47.7% compared to 36.2% in Santa Barbara. Berkeley has a high school diploma or higher of 51.9% compared to 44.7% in Santa Barbara.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBerkeley has a population of 120,223, about 1.4x the size of Santa Barbara (88,024). Berkeley skews younger with a median age of 32.9 vs 39.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Berkeley
Santa Barbara
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanta Barbara: 5.0 vs Berkeley: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Berkeley: 5 vs Santa Barbara: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Berkeley leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBerkeley has a public transit of 15.8% compared to 2.3% in Santa Barbara. Berkeley has a work from home of 32.5% compared to 17.0% in Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara has a drive alone of 61.3% compared to 27.4% in Berkeley.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Berkeley, CA
Compare Berkeley against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.