A coastal metro where university towns and Latino growth reshape the electorate
Santa Barbara and Santa Maria sit at opposite demographic poles — an affluent coastal enclave and a majority-Latino agricultural hub — yet together they produced one of California's widest 2024 presidential margins at D+89.3 points.
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara | 444K | D+26.7 | 114,149 | 64,870 | 184,715 | 25.0% |
| Santa Barbara | 439K | D+26.7 | 114,149 | 64,870 | 184,715 | 25.0% |
| Santa Barbara | 402K | D+26.7 | 114,149 | 64,870 | 184,715 | 25.0% |
| Santa Barbara | 399K | D+26.7 | 114,149 | 64,870 | 184,715 | 25.0% |
| Group | Local | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 48.7% | 57.4% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(18) | 41.6% | 19.3% |
▶Asian(6) | 4.8% | 6.0% |
▶Black / African American(9) | 2.0% | 12.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 1.5% | 4.0% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(5) | 1.3% | 0.9% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(11) | 1.0% | 0.9% |
Catholic-Evangelical edge: +56.1pp (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33.1% | 70.7% | — | — | |
| 6.2% | 13.2% | — | — | |
| 4.7% | 10.1% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 1.8% | 3.9% | — | — |
| 1.7% | 3.5% | — | — | |
| 0.9% | 1.8% | — | — | |
| 0.3% | 0.6% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 53.2% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area? 1,684,468 residents across 4 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+26.7 | D+22.4 | 4.3pp |