Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 9,031, settled in 1886. Public schools that outperform most of California.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Montecito grades A− overall, ranked 44th of 841 in California. Its public schools are among the best in California. It is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $231K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $5.7 million, 57.8 years of the Santa Maria metro’s $98K median household income. 34% of residents are 65 or older in Montecito, where California’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 18%. Only 64 of California’s 1,063 towns score higher on history. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
Where Montecito beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Montecito Union | K–6 | 353 |
| Cold Spring Elementary | K–6 | 188 |
| Crane Country Day School | K–8 | 252 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Montecito is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Steedman Estate is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Montecito. Close and well known come first.
24 mi National ParkChannel Islands National Park227K visitors a year
in town GardenLotusland
18 mi National forestLos Padres National Forest
4 mi LandmarkPresidio of Santa Barbara
2 mi Zoo & aquariumSanta Barbara Zoo
5 mi MuseumSanta Barbara Museum of Natural HistoryChannel Islands National Park: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Lotusland: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Los Padres National Forest: Taken by Antandrus, Public domain · Presidio of Santa Barbara: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Santa Barbara Zoo: Dakart at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: Jllm06, CC BY-SA 3.0
Montecito 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 Montecito.
Montecito has schools in the top 5% of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 57.8 years of the Santa Maria metro’s $98K median household income, the typical home (about $5.68M) costs more against local pay than in any other California town; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Home values rose 45% in five years, to about $5.68M, against 13% across California.
Montecito’s median rent is $3,501 a month. Typical home values rose 13% in the year to September 2026. 76% of Montecito households own their home.
| Montecito | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #1 of the 847 California towns we grade for schools. Its A+ is the best School Grade on its borders; Santa Barbara (B+) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Montecito Union Elementary school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montecito UnionLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 353 | A+ |
| Cold Spring ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 188 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its A+ for health tops all 3 graded neighbors; Summerland (A) comes closest. Against the 586 U.S. towns with household incomes like Montecito’s, it is less healthy than 62%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
26% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Montecito. Montecito beats the California average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 6.3% of adults smoke cigarettes in Montecito.
| Montecito | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 29% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.3% | 11% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Montecito | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.2% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.3% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1995, 56 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Montecito.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Montecito | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Casa Dorinda Oak Woodland | 0.9 mi | 21 |
| 2. Los Padres National Forest | — | 6 |
| 3. Upper Manning Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 46.3°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 74.9°.
Montecito has warm winters and cool summers, with very little rain. The July high in Montecito is 75°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Montecito | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 75°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 46°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 2,360 working residents takes 18.4 minutes, against 28.7 across California. 33.9% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Montecito for work: only 9% work in town. The top destinations are Santa Barbara (31%), Los Angeles (6%) and Goleta (6%). Half commute less than 11 miles.
| Montecito | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $231,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8.3% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
7 within 15 miles of the center of Montecito
College town 18 of every 100 Montecito residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
3 places in Montecito on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 towns share a border with Montecito.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montecito | #44 | A− | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Santa Barbara | #443 | C | D− | D | B+ | A− |
| Summerland | — | — | D− | — | B+ | A |
| Toro Canyon | — | — | D− | — | B+ | A |
Summerland and Toro Canyon have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Montecito, Summerland and Toro Canyon report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Montecito with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Montecito grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #44 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. The public schools Montecito children attend outperform 100% of California districts on state tests and graduation, an A+ School Grade.
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−.
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