Population
Santa Barbara
88,024
Mission Viejo
92,415
Median Income
Santa Barbara
$101,672
Mission Viejo
$136,071
Home Value
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
Mission Viejo
$946,300
Rent
Santa Barbara
$2,302
Mission Viejo
$2,713
Crime Rate
Santa Barbara
6.50
Mission Viejo
0.99
Cost of Living
Santa Barbara
235.7
Mission Viejo
233.4
Avg Temp
Santa Barbara
N/A
Mission Viejo
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Barbara
4.7%
Mission Viejo
4.5%
How Similar Are Santa Barbara & Mission Viejo?
Mission Viejo is Santa Barbara's #7 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Barbara
88,024
Mission Viejo
92,415
Both cities have similar populations — Santa Barbara at 88,024 and Mission Viejo at 92,415.
Violent Crime
Santa Barbara
6.50
Mission Viejo
0.99
Santa Barbara's violent crime is significantly higher than Mission Viejo's — 85% difference.
Property Crime
Santa Barbara
18.10
Mission Viejo
11.86
Santa Barbara has a 34% higher property crime than Mission Viejo.
Political Leaning
Santa Barbara
35.1%
Mission Viejo
47.1%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Mission Viejo has a stronger Democratic lean (25% difference).
Unemployment
Santa Barbara
4.7%
Mission Viejo
4.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 4% difference.
Median Income
Santa Barbara
$101,672
Mission Viejo
$136,071
Mission Viejo has a 25% higher median income than Santa Barbara.
Home Values
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
Mission Viejo
$946,300
Santa Barbara has a 35% higher home values than Mission Viejo.
Education
Santa Barbara
36.2%
Mission Viejo
37.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
Santa Barbara
63.3%
Mission Viejo
64.2%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 1% difference.
Cost of Living
Santa Barbara
235.7
Mission Viejo
233.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Barbara and Mission Viejo share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Barbara
0
Mission Viejo
Mission Viejo leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Mission Viejo leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSanta Barbara scores 127.7 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 154.0 in Mission Viejo. Santa Barbara scores 122.2 on the healthcare index (100 = national avg) vs 143.2 in Mission Viejo. Mission Viejo scores 357.3 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 400.0 in Santa Barbara.
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 — Mission Viejo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Barbara has a median home value of $1,466,400 vs $946,300 in Mission Viejo (55% higher). Mission Viejo has a owner-occupied of 77.5% compared to 39.8% in Santa Barbara. Mission Viejo has a vacancy rate of 4.2% compared to 6.1% in Santa Barbara.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Mission Viejo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMission Viejo has a poverty rate of 5.0% compared to 13.1% in Santa Barbara. Mission Viejo has a median household income of $136,071 vs $101,672 in Santa Barbara (25% higher). Mission Viejo has a work from home of 20.0% compared to 17.0% in Santa Barbara.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Mission Viejo leads
Source: FBI UCRMission Viejo has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.62 compared to 4.91 in Santa Barbara. Mission Viejo has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 0.99 compared to 6.50 in Santa Barbara. Mission Viejo has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.32 compared to 0.75 in Santa Barbara.
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 — Mission Viejo leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMission Viejo has a high school diploma or higher of 49.3% compared to 44.7% in Santa Barbara. Mission Viejo has a bachelor's degree or higher of 37.5% compared to 36.2% 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 ACSMission Viejo has a population of 92,415, about 1x the size of Santa Barbara (88,024). Santa Barbara skews younger with a median age of 39.4 vs 46.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Barbara
Mission Viejo
Healthcare — Santa Barbara leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanta Barbara: 4 vs Mission Viejo: 3 for with emergency services. Santa Barbara: 5.0 vs Mission Viejo: 4.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Barbara has a bicycle of 3.2% compared to 0.2% in Mission Viejo. Santa Barbara has a public transit of 2.3% compared to 0.5% in Mission Viejo. Mission Viejo has a work from home of 20.0% compared to 17.0% in Santa Barbara.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Santa Barbara, CA
Compare Santa Barbara 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.