Population
Lancaster
170,013
Santa Maria
109,880
Median Income
Lancaster
$76,083
Santa Maria
$84,617
Home Value
Lancaster
$409,100
Santa Maria
$478,200
Rent
Lancaster
$1,696
Santa Maria
$1,842
Crime Rate
Lancaster
8.35
Santa Maria
6.61
Cost of Living
Lancaster
143.1
Santa Maria
151.5
Avg Temp
Lancaster
N/A
Santa Maria
N/A
Unemployment
Lancaster
7.2%
Santa Maria
7.1%
How Similar Are Lancaster & Santa Maria?
Santa Maria is Lancaster's #7 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Lancaster
170,013
Santa Maria
109,880
Lancaster has a 35% larger population than Santa Maria.
Violent Crime
Lancaster
8.35
Santa Maria
6.61
Lancaster has a 21% higher violent crime than Santa Maria.
Property Crime
Lancaster
19.21
Santa Maria
18.83
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.
Political Leaning
Lancaster
31.9%
Santa Maria
35.1%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 9% difference.
Unemployment
Lancaster
7.2%
Santa Maria
7.1%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 1% difference.
Median Income
Lancaster
$76,083
Santa Maria
$84,617
Santa Maria has a 10% higher median income than Lancaster.
Home Values
Lancaster
$409,100
Santa Maria
$478,200
Santa Maria has a 14% higher home values than Lancaster.
Education
Lancaster
12.7%
Santa Maria
8.5%
Lancaster has a 33% higher education than Santa Maria.
Demographics
Lancaster
35.5%
Santa Maria
37.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.
Cost of Living
Lancaster
143.1
Santa Maria
151.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lancaster and Santa Maria share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Lancaster
0
Santa Maria
Lancaster leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Lancaster leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLancaster has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,085 vs $2,746 in Santa Maria (24% lower). Lancaster has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,601 vs $3,124 in Santa Maria (17% lower). Santa Maria scores 108.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 123.5 in Lancaster.
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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Maria has a vacancy rate of 3.7% compared to 5.2% in Lancaster. Santa Maria has a median home value of $478,200 vs $409,100 in Lancaster (14% higher). Lancaster has a owner-occupied of 58.4% compared to 51.2% in Santa Maria.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Santa Maria leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLancaster has a work from home of 9.4% compared to 5.3% in Santa Maria. Santa Maria: 21 min vs Lancaster: 29 min for mean commute. Lancaster: 71,275 vs Santa Maria: 53,056 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Santa Maria leads
Source: FBI UCRSanta Maria has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.18 in Lancaster. Lancaster has a violent crime clearance of 59.0% compared to 33.3% in Santa Maria. Santa Maria has a assault rate (per 1k) of 4.16 compared to 5.98 in Lancaster.
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 — Lancaster leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLancaster has a high school diploma or higher of 31.4% compared to 20.6% in Santa Maria. Lancaster has a bachelor's degree or higher of 12.7% compared to 8.5% in Santa Maria.
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 ACSLancaster has a population of 170,013, about 1.5x the size of Santa Maria (109,880). Santa Maria skews younger with a median age of 29.3 vs 34.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Lancaster
Santa Maria
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareNearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Lancaster leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLancaster has a work from home of 9.4% compared to 5.3% in Santa Maria. Lancaster has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.3% in Santa Maria. Santa Maria: 21 min vs Lancaster: 29 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Lancaster, CA
Compare Lancaster 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.