Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
1,038 people live in this town, settled in 1887.
Los Olivos’ best subject grades are an A+ for walkability and an A for health and schools; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. 64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Los Olivos, above both the California town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only 30 of California’s 1,064 towns score lower on hazard risk. Homes are expensive, about $1.7 million for a typical one and 17.7 times the Santa Maria metro’s $98K median household income. Ballard Adobes is on the National Register of Historic Places. Los Olivos has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Los Olivos beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Los Olivos is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 4 maps from 1942 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Los Olivos is unincorporated, so Santa Barbara County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Los Olivos.
Homes in Los Olivos are typically worth about $1,741,000, up 4.8% in a year, more than twice the California typical home. For households here, the share who own their home is 88%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Los Olivos Elementary school district. 159 students attend the town’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Olivos ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 159 | A |
| Dunn School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 218 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Just over a tenth of working residents work locally in Los Olivos. Half of commuters travel less than 25 miles. The middle household income for Los Olivos comes to $143,000. The top destinations are Santa Barbara (8%), Solvang (7%) and Los Angeles (5%).
| Los Olivos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $143,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA puts 45% of Los Olivos’s expected hazard losses down to landslides, and 21% to inland flooding. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2022. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Two figures for adults in Los Olivos: 18% get no exercise outside work, 32% feel lonely. Against the California average, Los Olivos comes out ahead on 16 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 4. The share of adults in Los Olivos who have obesity: 24%.
| Los Olivos | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 24% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Los Olivos | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.9% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.3% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.8% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Los Olivos’ density of trails comes in at 1.0 miles per square mile. 2.6 miles of trail.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Los Olivos; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Los Olivos residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Los Olivos’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California, US
Los Olivos (; Spanish for "the olive trees") is an unincorporated community in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tourism is popular in this rural area which is an agricultural region with an emphasis on wine grapes. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Los Olivos as a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 1,202 at the 2020 census. The ZIP Code is 93441, and the community is within the area code 805.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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−.