County outline
Where Santa Barbara County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 72.2% of Santa Barbara County’s measured area and water for 27.8%. Its combined area converts to 9,810.1 square kilometers or approximately 2,424,122 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 2,733.941 | 7,080.875 | 1,749,722.2 |
| Water | 1,053.75 | 2,729.2 | 674,400 |
| Total | 3,787.691 | 9,810.075 | 2,424,122.2 |
How Santa Barbara County compares
By original Census land area, Santa Barbara County ranks #21 of 58 in California and #190 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.78 times the California county-equivalent median of 1,535.7 square miles. It accounts for 1.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete California ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Santa Barbara County
The Census Bureau estimates that 442,065 people lived in Santa Barbara County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #170 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #21 of 58 in California. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 448,214, the population has declined by 6,149 (−1.4%), compared with −0.5% for California as a whole.
With 2,733.9 square miles of land, that is 162 people per square mile (62 per km²), placing Santa Barbara County #739 nationally for density and #23 in California. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the California median is 112. Put another way, there are about 4 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 448,325 | 437,529 | 445,401 | 442,878 | 443,081 | 442,065 |
| Change | — | −10,796 | +7,872 | −2,523 | +203 | −1,016 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Santa Barbara County
8 incorporated places lie at least partly in Santa Barbara County. Together they are home to 306,210 people (69.3%); the other 135,855 (30.7%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Santa Maria city, with 111,390 residents in the county. The county seat, Santa Barbara city, has 86,422 residents. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Guadalupe city grew fastest since then (+9.1%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria city | 111,390 | +1.5% | 22.8 |
| Santa Barbara cityCounty seat | 86,422 | −2.7% | 19.5 |
| Lompoc city | 43,315 | −2.5% | 11.6 |
| Goleta city | 32,401 | −0.9% | 7.852 |
| Carpinteria city | 12,734 | −4% | 2.588 |
| Guadalupe city | 8,846 | +9.1% | 1.311 |
| Solvang city | 5,944 | −2.9% | 2.425 |
| Buellton city | 5,158 | −0.8% | 1.582 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Santa Barbara County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Santa Barbara County is a central county of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Santa Barbara County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 2,733.9 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #112 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #125 by population.
ZIP codes
25 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Santa Barbara County; 24 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
93013930679310193103931059310693108931099311093111931179325293254934279342993434934369343793440934419345493455934589346093463
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County shares a land border with 3 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Kern County (8,134.7 mi²) and the smallest is Ventura County (1,840.8 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Santa Barbara County forms a block of 16,010.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 17.1%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Santa Barbara | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County | 8,134.7 | 3× larger | Compare |
| San Luis Obispo County | 3,300.8 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Ventura County | 1,840.8 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Santa Barbara County compared with U.S. states?
Santa Barbara County has more land than 2 of the 50 states. It is about 1.4 times the land area of Delaware (1,948.6 mi²), while Connecticut, the next larger state, has 1.8 times as much land (4,842.5 mi²). California’s county land could hold about 57 areas the size of Santa Barbara County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 52.3 miles (84.1 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Santa Barbara County?
Santa Barbara County has more land than 3,032 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Santa Barbara County at #142 nationally by total area, 48 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 27.8%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 26.7 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Santa Barbara County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #189 | McKenzie County, North Dakota | 2,760.1 | Compare |
| #190 | Santa Barbara County, California | 2,733.9 | This county |
| #191 | Juneau City and Borough, Alaska | 2,703 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 34.536677, -120.038364. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 7,080,874,916 m²; AWATER: 2,729,198,905 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Santa Barbara County?
Santa Barbara County, California has 2,733.9 square miles (7,080.9 km²) of land and 1,053.8 square miles of water, for a total area of 3,787.7 square miles. It ranks #190 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Santa Barbara County the largest county in California?
No. Santa Barbara County ranks #21 of 58 in California by land area. The largest is San Bernardino County, with 20,068.4 square miles of land.
What counties border Santa Barbara County?
Santa Barbara County shares a land border with San Luis Obispo County, Ventura County, and Kern County.
What is the population of Santa Barbara County?
The Census Bureau estimates Santa Barbara County had 442,065 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #170 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 162 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Santa Barbara County?
The county seat of Santa Barbara County is Santa Barbara.
What cities and towns are in Santa Barbara County?
Santa Barbara County has 8 incorporated places. The most populous five are Santa Maria city, Santa Barbara city, Lompoc city, Goleta city, and Carpinteria city; 135,855 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Santa Barbara County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Santa Barbara County?
25 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Santa Barbara County, and 24 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Santa Barbara County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 2 of the 50 states, including Delaware (1,948.6 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Santa Barbara County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 1,749,722 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 2,424,122 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.