Ballard City Limit, 2006
Ballard’s story
146 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 4 maps from 1942 on.
- 1880Ballard is settled
BallardCA
A town of 863, settled in 1880.
Population
863
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$1.74M
Census ACS
Household income
$141K
median
Median age
42.3
years
Jobs based here
253
Balanced
Is Ballard a good place to live?
Ballard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
863 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Los OlivosSanta YnezBallard
Getting set up
Moving to Ballard: who provides what
Ballard is unincorporated, so Santa Barbara County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSanta Ynez River Water Cons. Dist. Id#1No health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSanta Barbara CountySanta Barbara County provides services here
SchoolsSanta Ynez Valley Union High School DistrictBallard Elementary School DistrictCollege Elementary School District3 districts serve Ballard; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSanta Barbara County Clerk-ElectionsSanta Barbara County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes93463, 9346093463 71% · 93460 29%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ballard.
Natural hazards
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Ballard is higher
One declared disaster, in 2022, has brought federal aid to Ballard households. 45% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from landslides, followed by inland flooding at 21%. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
100risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
LandslidesInland floodingWildfire
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Schools
The schools Ballard’s kids attend
The Ballard Elementary school district runs its public schools. Its one school is below. Enrollment at the town’s public school: 113 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballard ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 113 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
86°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter38–65°
Spring44–72°
Summer53–83°
Fall47–78°
+2.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
86°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
Ballard sends most of its workers out of town
Only 2% of working residents stay in Ballard for work; the rest commute out. Jobs based in Ballard grew to 253 in 2023, 31 more than in 2013. In Ballard, the mean commuting time is 39 minutes, above both the California town median (28 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Also worth knowing: among residents here, 15% live below the poverty line.
2%work in town
| Ballard | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 39 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ballard2%
Santa Barbara9%
Solvang9%
Los Olivos7%
Santa Ynez6%
23 mi
median commute distance
253
jobs based in Ballard
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
How healthy Ballard is
For adults in Ballard, the share who feel lonely is 31%. Against the California average, Ballard comes out ahead on 17 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 5. Among adults in the town, 25% have obesity, against 29% in California’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns.
| Ballard | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 29% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
32 measures vs. California
17 better10 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Ballard | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.3% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 6.4% |
Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital
3 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Protected land: 0.7% of Ballard
2.2 miles of trail. Ballard’s density of trails stands at 0.8 miles per square mile.
0.7%conserved
| Ballard | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
0.7%
conserved · 13 of 1,783 acres
2.2 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
A home in Ballard sells for about $3.5M at the median
In Ballard, 73% of households are owner-occupiers.
$3.5Mmedian sale price
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ballard
17pages on Ballard
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ballard; the nearest are
University of California-Santa BarbaraUniversity or college · Public · Santa Barbara21.7 mi$16,414 in-state tuitionAllan Hancock CollegeCommunity college · Public · Santa Maria27.3 mi$1,156 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Ballard residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Ballard
Place in California, United States
Ballard is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. Ballard is the smallest and oldest community in the Santa Ynez Valley. The nearest city is Solvang. The population was 768 at the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined that community as a census-designated place (CDP). Ballard was founded in 1880 and has two buildings from that era: the 1883 Ballard School and the Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Church, which was erected in 1889.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1880
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 646 ft
- Area code
- 805
Questions about Ballard
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ballard, CA a good place to live?
Ballard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.