444,500 people (2024 Census estimate, −0.8% since 2020)
2,734 square miles of land · 163 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
63 active community water systems list Santa Barbara County in the area they serve, reporting 462,873 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CITY OF SANTA MARIA UTILITIES DEPARTMENT buys surface water · local government · CA4210011 | 112,208 served |
| CITY OF SANTA BARBARA WATER DEPARTMENT surface water · local government · CA4210010 | 93,334 served |
| GOLETA WATER DISTRICT surface water · local government · CA4210004 | 85,535 served |
| LOMPOC-CITY WATER UTILITY DIV surface water · local government · CA4210006 | 40,538 served |
| GOLDEN STATE WATER COMPANY - ORCUTT buys surface water · private · CA4210016 | 34,267 served |
| CARPINTERIA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT buys surface water · local government · CA4210001 | 16,356 served |
| AMERICAN WATER O&M, LLC - VSFB buys surface water · private · CA4210700 | 14,971 served |
| MONTECITO WATER DIST surface water · local government · CA4210007 | 12,010 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 768 people were held in Santa Barbara County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 720.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
21 school districts have their office in Santa Barbara County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $290.7 million — $270.7 million to run schools, about $16,207 per student, plus $9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $65.1 million local (mostly property tax), $294 million state, $34.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $72 million.
Spent $277.2 million — $227.6 million to run schools, about $18,088 per student, plus $30.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $201.9 million local (mostly property tax), $76 million state, $20.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $316 million.
Spent $202.2 million — $158.8 million to run schools, about $17,168 per student, plus $35.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $72.6 million local (mostly property tax), $122.4 million state, $22.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $166.2 million.
Spent $162.6 million — $145.4 million to run schools, about $16,048 per student, plus $7.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $44.5 million local (mostly property tax), $122.9 million state, $19.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $8.5 million.
Spent $79.2 million — $66.7 million to run schools, about $14,143 per student, plus $9.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $29.7 million local (mostly property tax), $52 million state, $5.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $49 million.
Spent $85.3 million — $78.5 million to run schools, about $22,980 per student, plus $5.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $60.7 million local (mostly property tax), $18.5 million state, $3.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $15.1 million.
Spent $56.5 million — $42.9 million to run schools, about $21,356 per student, plus $9.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $35 million local (mostly property tax), $25.2 million state, $3.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $87.3 million.
Spent $29.5 million — $25 million to run schools, about $19,510 per student, plus $4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $6 million local (mostly property tax), $24.7 million state, $3.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $5.9 million.
And 13 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Santa Barbara County about $477.3 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively High; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
421 bridges in Santa Barbara County: 226 in good condition, 179 fair, and 16 poor (3.8%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| US HIGHWAY 101 NB over MARIA YGNACIO CREEK · built 1961 | 60,500 vehicles a day |
| US HIGHWAY 101 SB over SAN JOSE CREEK · built 1946 | 60,500 vehicles a day |
| US HIGHWAY 101 SB over REFUGIO ROAD · built 1974 | 16,000 vehicles a day |
| US HIGHWAY 101 NB over REFUGIO ROAD · built 1974 | 16,000 vehicles a day |
| CLARK AVE over US HIGHWAY 101 · built 1966 | 15,000 vehicles a day |
| STATE ROUTE 217 over SAN JOSE CREEK · built 1963 | 12,500 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $337.9 million of work in Santa Barbara County in fiscal 2025, about $754 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Ballots mailed; drop boxes open: 2026-10-05. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-19. Early in-person voting: 2026-10-24 to 2026-11-03. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-10.
Source: California Secretary of State — Nov. 3, 2026 key dates · California Official Voter Information Guide — dates to remember · California Secretary of State — make a plan to vote
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Santa Barbara County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Santa Barbara County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of California: the state government and every county in California.
Nearby counties: Ventura County (53 mi) · San Luis Obispo County (63 mi) · Kern County (93 mi) · Los Angeles County (104 mi) · Kings County (107 mi) · Tulare County (137 mi).