Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Latest: 2024
Safe Democratic — shifted 5.4pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 444K residents — 1 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 40.6% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(18) | 48.2% |
▶Black / African American(9) | 1.7% |
▶Asian(6) | 5.3% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(11) | 1.0% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(5) | 2.1% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3) | 0.1% |
Multiracial / Other | 2.0% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 33.1% | 70.7% |
| Other | 6.2% | 13.2% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 4.7% | 10.1% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 1.8% | 3.9% |
| Mainline Protestant | 1.7% | 3.5% |
| Black Protestant | 0.9% | 1.8% |
| Orthodox Christian | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Non-religious | 53.2% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Harris+26.7 |
| 2020 | Biden+32.1 |
| 2016 | Clinton+28.4 |
| 2012 | Obama+18.0 |
| 2008 | Obama+22.8 |
| 2004 | Kerry+8.0 |
| 2000 | Gore+1.2 |
| 1996 | Clinton+4.5 |
| 1992 | Clinton+7.3 |
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA is a metro area that has a population of 443,701. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Democratic with a margin of D+26.7. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 61.8% | 35.1% | D+26.7 | R+5.4 |
| 2020 | 64.9% | 32.8% | D+32.1 | D+3.7 |
| 2016 | 59.9% | 31.5% | D+28.4 | D+10.4 |
| 2012 | 57.4% | 39.4% | D+18.0 | R+4.8 |
| 2008 | 60.2% | 37.4% | D+22.8 | D+14.9 |
| 2004 | 53.2% | 45.2% | D+8.0 | D+6.7 |
| 2000 | 47.4% | 46.1% | D+1.2 | R+3.2 |
| 1996 | 46.9% | 42.4% | D+4.5 | R+2.8 |
| 1992 | 42.5% | 35.3% | D+7.3 | D+17.0 |
| 1988 | 44.5% | 54.2% | R+9.8 | D+17.0 |
| 1984 | 36.0% | 62.8% | R+26.8 | R+4.3 |
| 1980 | 31.5% | 54.0% | R+22.5 | R+17.5 |
| 1976 | 45.9% | 50.8% | R+4.9 | D+8.6 |
| 1972 | 41.6% | 55.2% | R+13.5 | R+0.2 |
| 1968 | 40.2% | 53.6% | R+13.4 | R+25.4 |
| 1964 | 55.9% | 44.0% | D+12.0 | D+25.7 |
| 1960 | 43.0% | 56.7% | R+13.7 | D+15.9 |
| 1956 | 34.9% | 64.5% | R+29.6 | D+4.2 |
| 1952 | 32.9% | 66.7% | R+33.8 | R+13.7 |
| 1948 | 38.0% | 58.1% | R+20.1 | — |
What defines Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
It has a heavily immigrant community where nativity and ethnic networks shape the political landscape.
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Educated rural competitive 2
Counties in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara | 444K | D+26.7 | 114,149 | 64,870 | 184,715 | 100.0% |
1 countiesTotal votes: 184,715
Ask the Historian
Explore Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Has voted Democratic in the last 5 presidential elections
- Latest election (2024) was a Democratic landslide with a 26.7% margin
- Turnout decreased by 4.8 percentage points since the previous presidential election
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Local | National |
|---|---|---|
▶Hispanic / Latino(18) | 48.2% | 19.3% |
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 40.6% | 57.4% |
▶Asian(6) | 5.3% | 6.0% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(5) | 2.1% | 0.9% |
Multiracial / Other | 2.0% | 4.0% |
▶Black / African American(9) | 1.7% | 12.2% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(11) | 1.0% | 0.9% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3) | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
46.8%
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? 443,701 residents across 1 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
444K
Share of U.S. population
0.13%
Voting-age population
72.5%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$98,161
Poverty rate
14.7%
College degree
36.8%
Homeownership
52.4%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
34.6 yrs
Age 18–29
21.7%
Age 65+
16.6%
Foreign born
22.2%
Non-English at home
40.5%
English only
59.5%
Turnout in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
57.4%
-4.8pp
321,848
1988–2024
How competitive is Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA?
Safe DAvg margin: D+29.0 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+22.8
2012
D+18.0
2016
D+28.4
2020
D+32.1
2024
D+26.7
14.1pp
0
D+25.6
Do voters in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Heavy splitting (0/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | D+26.7 | D+22.4 | 4.3pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 24.6pp
Located In
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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