City safety & data profile

GoletaCA

Goleta, CA is a 31K-resident city in Santa Barbara County with a median household income of $122,370.

Santa Barbara County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Goleta, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Goleta has a population larger than 64% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $1,062,100.

Data updated 2026-07-20

31K
Population
Top 36%
By size
$122,370
Median income
$1,062,100
Median home
9.3%
Poverty rate

The read on Goleta

Goleta posts a median household income higher than 84% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 16%
by median income, US cities

Where Goleta income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$122,370 Top 16% higher than 84% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). This entry sits in this band. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. CA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Goleta, CA beyond the headline numbers

Goleta sits inside Santa Barbara County, California, at roughly 34.44°N, -119.83°W. Population 30,944, $122,370 median household income. Median home value $1,062,100, median rent $2,437. Poverty rate 9.3%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Goleta's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 31.3%, then high blood pressure at 29.1%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Goleta from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
30,944
Goleta
Median Income
$122,370
+80% vs avg
Median Home Value
$1,062,100
+366% vs avg
Median Age
36.9
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Santa Barbara County) - Goleta's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
444K+4%
Median Income
$98,161+56%
Median Home Value
$790,700+75%
Poverty Rate
14.7%-8%
Unemployment
6.3%-32%

Economics

Economics indicators for Goleta, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$2,437/mo
Poverty Rate
9.3% -35% vs avg
Unemployment 4.2%
Bachelor's Degree+ 49.4%
Work From Home 18.4%
Public Transit 2.8%

Population

White 50.2%
African American 1.8%
Asian 11.1%
Two or More Ethnicities 0.2%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
31.3%
High Blood Pressure
29.1%
Obesity
24.1%
Physical Inactivity
20.3%
Binge Drinking
17%
Frequent Mental Distress
15.6%
Frequent Physical Distress
12.1%
Diabetes
9.6%
Current Asthma
9.3%
Current Smoking
9.2%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 67%
Annual Checkup 71.6%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
8.6%
Coronary Heart Disease
5.2%
Stroke
2.7%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Goleta, CA? ▼
Goleta, CA has a population of 30,944 people, located in Santa Barbara County, California.
What is the median household income in Goleta? ▼
The median household income in Goleta, CA is $122,370 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 9.3%.
What is the median home value in Goleta? ▼
The median home value in Goleta, CA is $1,062,100. Median rent is $2,437/month.
What are the top health concerns in Goleta? ▼
The top health indicators in Goleta include Short Sleep Duration (31.3%), High Blood Pressure (29.1%), Obesity (24.1%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Goleta? ▼
The median age in Goleta, CA is 36.9 years. 49.4% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Goleta, CA is located in Santa Barbara County, California. With a population of 31K and a $122,370 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and high blood pressure. Safety alerts for the Goleta area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - California

Real-time AQI for every monitored California location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Isla Vista, CA 23K Santa Barbara, CA 92K Carpinteria, CA 14K Ventura, CA 97K Lompoc, CA 44K Oxnard, CA 207K Port Hueneme, CA 22K Orcutt, CA 29K
All cities in California → Compare Goleta vs Isla Vista → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Goleta's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Goleta area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Goleta against California peers on any ranking lens. Explore California

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Santa Barbara County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.