Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 32,401, settled in 1875.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Goleta grades B overall, ranked 137th of 841 in California. Its schools rank ahead of 91% of California towns and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 86% of the country. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $1.3 million, 13.7 years of the Santa Maria metro’s $98K median household income. Goleta’s typical home value is $1,349,000, above both the California town median ($709,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($332,000). Goleta is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Goleta has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Joseph and Lucy Foster Sexton House and Stow House.
Where Goleta beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Goleta’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Goleta is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 55,204 in 2000, 32,690 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 6 maps from 1942 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Goleta. Close and well known come first.
24 mi National ParkChannel Islands National Park227K visitors a year
17 mi National forestLos Padres National Forest
12 mi GardenLotusland
9 mi LandmarkPresidio of Santa Barbara
8 mi MuseumSanta Barbara Museum of Natural History
11 mi Zoo & aquariumSanta Barbara ZooChannel Islands National Park: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Los Padres National Forest: Taken by Antandrus, Public domain · Lotusland: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Presidio of Santa Barbara: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: Jllm06, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Santa Barbara Zoo: Dakart at en.wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Goleta, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Goleta.
Goleta draws workers from Santa Barbara and beyond and has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 13.7 years of the Santa Maria metro’s $98K median household income, the typical home (about $1.35M) costs more against local pay than in 89% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Home values rose 29% in five years, to about $1.35M, against 13% across California.
Goleta’s median rent is $2,437 a month. The typical Goleta home is worth about $1,349,000, up 1.8% in a year, 77% above the California typical home. 51% of households own their home in Goleta.
| Goleta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,437 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 51% | 64% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 49% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.35M.
Its public schools are run by the Santa Barbara Unified school district. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goleta Valley Junior HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 731 | C− |
| Dos Pueblos Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,149 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests
27 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. The trail density in Goleta is 3.5 miles per square mile. Ellwood Forest Park, at 246 acres with 9.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ellwood Forest Park | 9.5 mi | 246 |
| 2. Ellwood Mesa Sperling Open Space | 3.5 mi | 85 |
| 3. Decker's Cabrillo Park | 0.6 mi | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
21,346 jobs are based in Goleta, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.8 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
About one in 4 of Goleta’s working residents works in town. 18% of Goleta workers work from home. Since 2013, Goleta has added 1,888 jobs, to 21,346 in 2023.
| Goleta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $122,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 18% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Goleta.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 5,399 U.S. towns with household incomes like Goleta’s, it is healthier than 66%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
Goleta beats the California average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Goleta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Goleta | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.3% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.5% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Santa Barbara weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 5 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 45.4°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 71.6°.
Goleta has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Goleta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 72°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 45°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within California, it does better than 73% of towns.
| Goleta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
6 within 15 miles of the center of Goleta
About 11 of every 100 Goleta residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
11.5% of the town is conserved land, across 17 parks and preserves.
3 places in Goleta on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Goleta.
City in California, United States
Goleta ( gə-LEE-tə; Spanish: [ɡoˈleta]; Spanish for "schooner") is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated populated area in the county. As of the 2000 census, the census-designated place (CDP) had a total population of 55,204. A significant portion of the census territory of 2000 was not included in the city. The population of Goleta was 32,690 at the 2020 census. It is known for being close to the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Goleta.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goleta | #137 | B | D− | C+ | A | A |
| Eastern Goleta Valley | #76 | B+ | D− | — | A | A |
| Santa Barbara | #443 | C | D− | D | B+ | A− |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | – | A− | C− | — | A | A |
Eastern Goleta Valley and University of California-Santa Barbara report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Goleta with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Goleta grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #137 of 841 in California. It grades A for health, C+ for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within California, it does better than 73% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
7 notable people were born here, including Danny Duffy and Derrick Plourde.
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