Population
Santa Barbara
88,024
Santa Cruz
60,953
Median Income
Santa Barbara
$101,672
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Home Value
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Rent
Santa Barbara
$2,302
Santa Cruz
$2,302
Crime Rate
Santa Barbara
6.50
Santa Cruz
6.13
Cost of Living
Santa Barbara
235.7
Santa Cruz
225.2
Avg Temp
Santa Barbara
N/A
Santa Cruz
N/A
Unemployment
Santa Barbara
4.7%
Santa Cruz
6.3%
How Similar Are Santa Barbara & Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz is Santa Barbara's #2 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Santa Barbara
88,024
Santa Cruz
60,953
Santa Barbara has a 31% larger population than Santa Cruz.
Violent Crime
Santa Barbara
6.50
Santa Cruz
6.13
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 6% difference.
Property Crime
Santa Barbara
18.10
Santa Cruz
25.15
Santa Cruz has a 28% higher property crime than Santa Barbara.
Political Leaning
Santa Barbara
35.1%
Santa Cruz
20.9%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Santa Barbara has a stronger Democratic lean (41% difference).
Unemployment
Santa Barbara
4.7%
Santa Cruz
6.3%
Santa Cruz has a 26% higher unemployment than Santa Barbara.
Median Income
Santa Barbara
$101,672
Santa Cruz
$111,427
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Santa Barbara
$1,466,400
Santa Cruz
$1,180,100
Santa Barbara has a 20% higher home values than Santa Cruz.
Education
Santa Barbara
36.2%
Santa Cruz
33.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.
Demographics
Santa Barbara
63.3%
Santa Cruz
65.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.
Cost of Living
Santa Barbara
235.7
Santa Cruz
225.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Santa Barbara
0
Santa Cruz
Santa Barbara leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Santa Cruz leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSanta Cruz scores 117.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 155.4 in Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara has a fair market rent (2br) of $3,124 vs $4,214 in Santa Cruz (26% lower). Santa Barbara has a fair market rent (1br) of $2,746 vs $3,298 in Santa Cruz (17% 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 Cruz leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Barbara has a vacancy rate of 6.1% compared to 8.9% in Santa Cruz. Santa Barbara has a median home value of $1,466,400 vs $1,180,100 in Santa Cruz (24% higher). Santa Cruz has a owner-occupied of 47.7% compared to 39.8% in Santa Barbara.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Santa Barbara leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Barbara: 48,520 vs Santa Cruz: 33,751 for labor force. Santa Barbara has a unemployment rate of 4.7% compared to 6.3% in Santa Cruz. Santa Barbara has a poverty rate of 13.1% compared to 17.6% in Santa Cruz.
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 murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.05 in Santa Cruz. Santa Barbara has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 14.41 compared to 22.22 in Santa Cruz. Santa Barbara has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 18.10 compared to 25.15 in Santa Cruz.
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 — Santa Barbara leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSanta Barbara has a high school diploma or higher of 44.7% compared to 39.5% in Santa Cruz. Santa Barbara has a bachelor's degree or higher of 36.2% compared to 33.5% in Santa Cruz.
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 ACSSanta Barbara has a population of 88,024, about 1.4x the size of Santa Cruz (60,953). Santa Cruz skews younger with a median age of 30.7 vs 39.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Santa Barbara
Santa Cruz
Healthcare — Santa Barbara leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanta Barbara: 5.0 vs Santa Cruz: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Santa Barbara: 4 vs Santa Cruz: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Santa Cruz leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSanta Cruz has a public transit of 4.8% compared to 2.3% in Santa Barbara. Santa Cruz has a bicycle of 5.2% compared to 3.2% in Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara has a drive alone of 61.3% compared to 53.0% in Santa Cruz.
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.