Thomas Hope House · Photo: DocFreeman24 · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Eastern Goleta Valley top those of 94% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 2.4 in Santa Maria. Below the poverty line: 7.9% of residents, next to 12.0% for California as a whole. For jobs and income Eastern Goleta Valley is better than 79% of U.S. towns (A−); for walkability it is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns (A).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Eastern Goleta Valley: the figures worth knowing
Much of Eastern Goleta Valley works one town over
52% of working residents work in a town that borders Eastern Goleta Valley: Santa Barbara (35%) and Goleta (17%). Next door ↓
Commutes from Eastern Goleta Valley are quick
The average trip to work takes 15 minutes, against 29 across California. That’s about 107 hours a year less on the road than the typical California worker. Time on the road ↓
Most Eastern Goleta Valley residents work close to home
66% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
A lot of Eastern Goleta Valley works from home
25% of Eastern Goleta Valley workers work from home, against 17% across California. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Inside Eastern Goleta Valley’s Jobs & income grade
Household income is its strongest input ($146,284, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Eastern Goleta Valley could be anywhere from B+ to A.
From Eastern Goleta Valley, about 15 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Eastern Goleta Valley workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,153 commuters (the 25% who work from home are left out). Across California: 79% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The distance from Eastern Goleta Valley to work
About 24% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The daily commute in and out of Eastern Goleta Valley
On a workday 10,009 residents head out to work, 975 work right here, and 7,496 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.77 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
35% of working residents work in Santa Barbara
Where Eastern Goleta Valley clocks in
35% of workers
17% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
70% of the jobs in Eastern Goleta Valley pay over $3,333 a month
8,471 jobs are based in Eastern Goleta Valley.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Eastern Goleta Valley, 2013 → 2023: 7,529 → 8,471. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Eastern Goleta Valley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Eastern Goleta Valley is easy on foot, hard by bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 12,189 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 10% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 43% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.1% of Eastern Goleta Valley households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Eastern Goleta Valley’s commuters take a bus or train.
496th of 1,409: where Eastern Goleta Valley ranks among U.S. towns of 20,000 to 38,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 86 | Manhattan Beach CA | 33,122 | $204K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 100 | Saratoga CA | 30,418 | $250K | 3.3% | 4.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 116 | Lafayette CA | 25,313 | $228K | 2.9% | 4.3% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 494 | Carrboro NC | 20,962 | $86K | 12.2% | 3.6% | 7% | A− |
| 495 | Anna TX | 35,245 | $106K | 7.8% | 4.1% | 2% | A− |
| 496 | Eastern Goleta Valley CA | 28,295 | $146K | 7.9% | 3.9% | 9% | A− |
| 497 | Golden Valley MN | 21,325 | $109K | 9.1% | 4.6% | 8% | A− |
| 498 | Hercules CA | 26,326 | $129K | 5.6% | 6.4% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,409 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Eastern Goleta Valley, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Eastern Goleta Valley and its neighbors: 52% work next door
The biggest share goes to Santa Barbara (35%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Eastern Goleta Valley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Goleta Valley | – | A− | A | 15 min | $146,284 |
| Goleta | 17% | B+ | A | 18 min | $122,370 |
| Santa Barbara | 35% | B | A | 17 min | $106,182 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Eastern Goleta Valley’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Eastern Goleta Valley: questions
What is the median household income in Eastern Goleta Valley?
$146,284 (±$7,208) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Eastern Goleta Valley?
7.9%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Eastern Goleta Valley?
15 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 25% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Eastern Goleta Valley work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Santa Barbara (35%, 5 mi), Goleta (17%, 4 mi), Los Angeles (4%, 84 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Eastern Goleta Valley walkable?
Eastern Goleta Valley is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 8.5 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Eastern Goleta Valley without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Eastern Goleta Valley, from the people who make the trip.
More of Eastern Goleta Valley
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.