Santa Barbara

Data as of · Metro Power Rankings

#333

Global Rank

8.0

Power Score

Established Metro

% of Country Score

0.3%

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United States • North America • Language power • Time zone America/Los_Angeles UTC−8 (PST) (observes summer time)

Population
445K
GDP
$39B
GDP per capita
$86,642
Land area
1,879 km² (725 mi²)
Density
237/km² (613/mi²)

Primary city Santa Barbara

State / province California

Language English

Stands out, per personListed companies: high vs United States and size peers

Santa Barbara metro area

34.43, -119.72
Loading map…
Sport

Dimension Breakdown

Value and global rank across all 16 dimensions

Stands out for Luxury Stars (Michelin), Airport Score, Top Universities, Hospitals, & Research.

Major League Teams/Venues↗0
Total Teams↗1#T-873
Major Sporting Events↗0
Major Companies↗7#T-135
Market Cap Score↗$34B#248
Cultural Events0
Universities↗1#T-308
Top Universities, Hospitals, & Research↗1#T-100
Notable Museums & Landmarks↗0
Ports, Exchanges & Infrastructure↗1#T-148
Airport Score↗2.0#T-154
Luxury Stars (Michelin)↗17.0#T-80
Metro Stations↗0
Commuter Rail Stations↗0
Train Hubs↗0
Skyscrapers0
World #1Top 5Outside top 5

Most similar metros

Closest profiles across all 16 dimensions
MuscatOman#368Halifax (NS)Canada#337CharlestonUnited States#247George Town (CAY)Cayman Islands#419MaastrichtNetherlands#441BozemanUnited States#464

Sports

2 teams

Top Companies

7 companies
1Deckers Brands
$11B
Public
2Procore
$9B
Public
3AppFolio
$8B
Public
4Apeel Sciences
$2B
Unicorn
5impact.com
$2B
Unicorn
6Invoca
$1B
Unicorn
7Invoca
$1B
Unicorn

Total Market Cap: $34B across 7 companies

Source data as of October 31, 2026 (companiesmarketcap.com)

House Prices

FHFA to 2026 Q2

FHFA all-transactions index for Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, since 1977. Real terms in 2024 dollars. Full history and the year-by-year table.

real, 2024 dollarsnominalindex, first quarter = 100 · shaded: 2007 to 2012
010020030040050060019801990200020102020

One year
One year +2.3%
nominal
Ten years
Ten years +40.8%
real, 2024 $
Since 2000
Since 2000 +101.3%
real, 2024 $
2007 to 2012
2007 to 2012 −47.2%
2007Q1 to 2012Q2

Languages of Santa Barbara

English first in California; 2 languages share it.

LanguageShare
English55.6%
Spanish28.3%
Mandarin Chinese3.5%
Tagalog2.1%
Vietnamese1.5%
English reach, California
91%
Tier 1 census

California on the languages board · Language power

Sound of Santa Barbara

#49 by artist origin · combined 104.7 (US 14.5 / UK 5.7) · signature decade 2010s · Full sound profile →

Top artists: Katy Perry, Ugly Kid Joe

Number-one singles by Santa Barbara artists10

Screen of Santa Barbara

#152 by film pedigree · score 24.3 · 7 people in a century of top-grossing films and Oscar nominations · Full screen profile →

Leading figures: Josh Brolin, Taylor Hackford, Anthony Edwards, Timothy Bottoms, Alex D. Linz

Art of Santa Barbara

#303 for celebrated art · 1 canon work in its museums

The Art hub →

Leading museums: Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Education & Research

Top 2000 Universities1 entry
#114

University of California, Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, United States

Notable Infrastructure

Airport2 entries

Santa Maria Public/Capt G Allan Hancock Field

Santa Maria • 4 - Regional

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport

Santa Barbara • 4 - Regional

Military Base1 entry

Vandenberg Space Force Base

Vandenberg • Space Port

Luxury Hospitality

4 properties
FTG 5-Star1 entry

Rosewood Miramar Beach

Santa Barbara

FTG 4-Star3 entries

Hotel Californian

Santa Barbara

San Ysidro Ranch

Santa Barbara

Stonehouse Restaurant

Santa Barbara