Can you afford to live in Santa Maria?
Median household income, home values and rent in Santa Maria, CA — how they've changed since 2015 and how much of a typical paycheck housing takes compared with the rest of the country.
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
This story was assembled using AI and public data sources.
What it costs to live in Santa Maria.
Median household income: $84,617 — +67.8% since 2015 (not adjusted for inflation)
Median gross rent: $1,842/mo — +58.5% since 2015
Median home value, 2015 to 2023
- 2015: 262200
- 2023: 478200
Median household income
- Santa Maria: 84617
- Santa Barbara County: 95977
- CA: 96334
- U.S.: 78538
Median gross rent
- Santa Maria: 1842
- Santa Barbara County: 2050
- CA: 1956
- U.S.: 1348
Share of income a typical renter spends on rent: 33.6% — U.S.: 30.2%
What it means
The typical household here earns $84,617 — slightly higher than the national figure of $78,538.
The typical renter here spends 33.6% of household income on rent, above the 30% level housing agencies use to define cost burden.
Since 2015, income has kept pace with rent here (+67.8% versus +58.5%), before adjusting for inflation.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates — Population, income, housing, education, commuting and poverty figures
- Census Bureau API — ACS Detailed Tables — The endpoint these pages are generated from
- data.census.gov — Look up the same tables for any place yourself
- ACS accuracy statement — Estimates carry margins of error; small places vary the most
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