Untitled photo, 2007
New Cuyama’s story
73 years in pictures
The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 4 maps from 1943 on.
- 1953New Cuyama is settled
New CuyamaCA
The town was settled in 1953 and has 555 residents today.
Photo: Eric Shalov · CC BY 4.0
Population
555
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$286K
+1.5% in a year
Household income
$61K
median
Median age
37.9
years
Jobs based here
20
A commuter town
Settled
1953
73 years ago
Is New Cuyama a good place to live?
New Cuyama’s peak summer temperature is 94°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). New Cuyama has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
555 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
The data
Ordered by what stands out in New Cuyama.
Housing
Homes in New Cuyama are worth about $286K, by Zillow’s estimate
$286KZillow home value
86% of New Cuyama households live in a home they own. Typical home values rose 1.5% in the year to September 2026.
Typical home value
New Cuyama$286K
California$762K
+1.5%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Schools
The schools New Cuyama’s kids attend
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Public schools: the Cuyama Joint Unified school district. The 2 public schools in New Cuyama teach 57 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyama Valley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 55 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazards
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in New Cuyama is higher
100risk score of 100
FEMA puts 49% of New Cuyama’s expected hazard losses down to landslides, and 44% to drought. Federal disaster aid has reached households in New Cuyama once, in 2022. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities.
FEMA risk score
LandslidesDrought
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Most of New Cuyama’s workers commute out: the town has 0.1 jobs for each of them
2%work in town
For most workers, New Cuyama is a place to come home to: only 2% work in town. The median household income in the town is $61,000. The top destinations are Santa Maria (12%), Los Angeles (7%) and Santa Barbara (6%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 42 miles.
| New Cuyama | Typical California town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In New Cuyama2%
Santa Maria12%
Los Angeles7%
Santa Barbara6%
Cuyama5%
42 mi
median commute distance
20
jobs based in New Cuyama
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
The climate in New Cuyama brings four seasons and hot summers
94°summer high
The January low for New Cuyama is 33°F.
Typical low → high °F
Winter33–61°
Spring40–71°
Summer54–92°
Fall43–78°
Nov 4
typical first frost
Apr 15
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
94°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy New Cuyama is
In New Cuyama, 16% of adults report frequent physical distress. This California town does better than the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 10.
| New Cuyama | Typical California town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 19% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
32 measures vs. California
1 better21 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | New Cuyama | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 64.4% | 57.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 6.7% | 5.1% |
Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital
34.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Conserved land covers 6.7% of New Cuyama
6.7%conserved
Parkland in New Cuyama adds up to 12 acres.
6.7%
conserved · 27 of 402 acres
0.0 mi
of trails
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Richardson Community Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about New Cuyama
17pages on New Cuyama
The big questions
Out and about
Getting set up
Moving to New Cuyama: who provides what
New Cuyama is unincorporated, so Santa Barbara County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCuyama Community Services DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesSanta Barbara CountySanta Barbara County provides services here
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 code9325493254 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave New Cuyama for work
Where New Cuyama’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
20jobs based in New Cuyama
2%of working residents work in town
42 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of New Cuyama; the nearest are
Taft CollegeCommunity college · Public · Taft19 mi$1,108 in-state tuitionSanta Barbara City CollegeCommunity college · Public · Santa Barbara37.1 mi$1,240 in-state tuitionUniversity of California-Santa BarbaraUniversity or college · Public · Santa Barbara37.6 mi$16,414 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 New Cuyama residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About New Cuyama
Census-designated place in California, United States
New Cuyama (Chumash: Kuyam, meaning "Clam") is a census-designated place in the Cuyama Valley, Santa Barbara County, California. It was named after the Chumash word for "clams", most likely due to the millions of petrified prehistoric clamshell fossils that are found in the surrounding areas. The town is home to most of the utility infrastructure for its residents, including nearby neighbor Cuyama. New Cuyama is located very close to the intersection points for Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura and Kern counties. The town is served by Highway 166 (connecting U.S. Route 101 and Interstate 5) and the public-use New Cuyama Airport. The population was 542 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,150 ft
- ZIP code
- 93254
Questions about New Cuyama
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is New Cuyama, CA a good place to live?
New Cuyama has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
New Cuyama is in here
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