Coastal California market where college towns meet wine-country precincts
Spanning three Central Coast counties, this media market blends UC Santa Barbara's student electorate with agricultural inland communities, producing countywide margins that routinely diverge from statewide Democratic baselines by 8–12 points depending on the cycle.
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara | 444K | D+26.7 | 114,149 | 64,870 | 184,715 | 13.8% |
| Santa Barbara | 439K | D+26.7 | 114,149 | 64,870 | 184,715 | 13.8% |
| Santa Barbara | 402K | D+26.7 | 114,149 | 64,870 | 184,715 | 13.8% |
| Santa Barbara | 399K | D+26.7 | 114,149 | 64,870 | 184,715 | 13.8% |
| San Luis Obispo | 282K | D+10.9 | 81,314 | 64,932 | 150,766 | 11.2% |
| San Luis Obispo | 279K | D+10.9 | 81,314 | 64,932 | 150,766 | 11.2% |
| San Luis Obispo | 262K | D+10.9 | 81,314 | 64,932 | 150,766 | 11.2% |
| San Luis Obispo | 247K | D+10.9 | 81,314 | 64,932 | 150,766 | 11.2% |
| Group | Local | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 57.2% | 57.4% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(18) | 33.5% | 19.3% |
▶Asian(6) | 4.2% | 6.0% |
Multiracial / Other | 2.0% | 4.0% |
▶Black / African American(9) | 1.9% | 12.2% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(5) | 1.1% | 0.9% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(11) | 1.0% | 0.9% |
Catholic-Evangelical edge: +43.7pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Catholic-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Democratic-leaning urban and suburban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28.2% | 64.4% | — | — | |
| 7.1% | 16.3% | — | — | |
| 5.9% | 13.5% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 1.8% | 4.2% | — | — |
| 1.6% | 3.7% | — | — | |
| 0.7% | 1.6% | — | — | |
| 0.2% | 0.5% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 56.3% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the SantaBarbra-SanMar-SanLuOb media market? 2,753,533 residents across 8 counties.
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | D+19.6 | D+15.1 | 4.4pp |