Minerva Club of Santa Maria · Photo: ELEAZARCH · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Santa Maria run?
Santa Maria’s city government spent $180.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,638 per resident. Water and other utilities ($35.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Santa Maria is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,638 per resident a year, or $4.49 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,354 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Santa Maria’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,354 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 59 California cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,350, and the middle half spent $1,086–$2,038. Santa Maria spent more than 51% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($32.9 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
California cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Santa Maria itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 26% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Santa Maria reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,354 · 2024: $1,638.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,435 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.65% of the home’s value, vs 0.70% across California.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Santa Maria’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Santa Maria’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Santa Maria →
Who’s in charge in Santa Maria
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Santa Maria’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.santa-maria.ca.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 233 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (110,125).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Santa Maria Joint Union High School District
Santa Maria’s high school district, shared with Guadalupe. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,746 per pupil, $10,630 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
California districts overall: 36% local, 52% state, 11% federal.
Santa Maria-Bonita Elementary School District · $19,642 per pupil
Orcutt Union Elementary School District · $15,054 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Santa Maria’s votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Santa Maria alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Santa Barbara County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat61.8%114,002 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican35.1%64,733 votesOthers: 3.1% (5,684 votes).
Most votes in Santa Barbara County: Kamala D Harris
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Santa Maria lies in Santa Barbara County. Every 2024 race in Santa Barbara County is on the county’s page.
Santa Barbara County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Santa Maria.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.santa-maria.ca.us ↗
- 2California AssemblyState representatives
- 3California SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of California
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Santa Maria compares with the towns next door
Santa Maria spent $1,354 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria | $1,354 | $3,435 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Santa Maria’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Santa Maria’s government
How much does Santa Maria spend per resident?
About $1,638 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,354 was more than 51% of 59 California cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Santa Maria?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,435 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.65% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across California. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.santa-maria.ca.us.
Who runs Santa Maria’s government?
See ci.santa-maria.ca.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Santa Maria yet.
How did Santa Maria vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Santa Maria alone. Santa Barbara County, where 100% of Santa Maria lies, voted Harris 61.8%, Trump 35.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Santa Maria?
472 full-time and 173 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $4.5M (about $54.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Santa Maria in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Monique Limón) and Assembly District 37 (Gregg Hart). The Assembly district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Santa Maria’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →