Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Solvang grades B+ overall, 77th among California's 841 graded towns. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns. Its schools outperform 86% of the state's and it is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $1.4 million for a typical one and 14.3 times the Santa Maria metro’s $98K median household income. 33% of residents are 65 or older in Solvang, where California’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 18%. Only 34 of California’s 426 towns score higher on safety. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
Where Solvang beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
5,245 counted in 2010 and 6,126 in 2020; an estimated 5,944 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 2.9%, after 16.8% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Solvang is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 4%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Mission Santa Ines is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,325 in 1960, 6,126 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 5 maps from 1942 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Solvang, 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 Solvang.
Solvang fares better on crime within California than nationally and trades workers with Santa Barbara and other neighbors, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of California.
At 14.3 years of the Santa Maria metro’s $98K median household income, the typical home (about $1.41M) costs more against local pay than in 90% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Home values rose 36% in five years, to about $1.41M, against 13% across California.
Typical home values rose 8% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Solvang is $1,666 a month.
| Solvang | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,666 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
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 $1.41M.
Its public schools are run by the Solvang Elementary school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solvang ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 602 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
4.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Solvang’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile. Hans Christian Andersen Park, at 59 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Solvang | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.4% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hans Christian Andersen Park | 1.4 mi | 59 |
| 2. Alisal Commons Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Sunny Fields Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Since 2011, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Solvang.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
13% of Solvang residents are under 18. Solvang has lost 2.9% of its people since 2020, down to 5,944 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 38% of Solvang adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Solvang | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 54.2 years | 39 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 13% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 29% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
About 83 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.7 points). Across California, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Solvang | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.4% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.9% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.2% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.7% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 18.7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.8% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 26% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.8% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.4% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Solvang. Solvang beats the California average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 24% of adults have obesity in Solvang.
| Solvang | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Solvang | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.9% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.7% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 12.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 93% of California’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 8 reported in 2025, 1.3 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Solvang has mild winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 82° and January nights drop to 39°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Solvang has about as many jobs (2,759) as working residents, but only 520 people both live and work here.
About one in 5 of Solvang’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Solvang has added 196 jobs, to 2,759 in 2023. The top destinations are Santa Barbara (11%), Goleta (6%) and Santa Ynez (6%).
| Solvang | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Solvang; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Solvang residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
City in California, United States
Solvang (; Danish for "sunny field") is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Ynez Valley, Solvang was founded in 1911 and incorporated as a city on May 1, 1985. The population was 6,126 at the 2020 census. Solvang has been described as "The Danish Capital of America". In 1804, Mission Santa Inés was founded by the Spanish under Esteban Tápis. A small community grew up around the mission called "Santa Inés" during the Mexican period, but it was largely abandoned after the American Conquest of California. In 1911, a new settlement was founded around the mission by a group of Danish Americans who purchased 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) of the surrounding Ran…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Solvang.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solvang | #77 | B+ | D− | B+ | A | A− |
| Santa Ynez | #214 | B− | D− | — | A− | B+ |
Santa Ynez reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Solvang with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Solvang grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #77 of 841 in California. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.
2 notable people were born here, including Alison Tetrick and Erin Alexander.