Note: As defined by the US Census Bureau, a city's official boundaries often extend miles beyond the city itself and may even cross county lines. As such, several thousand US cities officially exist in two or more counties (and therefore appear on multiple counties' lists of cities.)
City | Rank | 2024 Pop. | 2020 Pop. | Change | Density (/mi²) | Area (mi²) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria | 1 | 110,055 | 109,782 | 0.06% | 4,825 | 22.8 | City |
| Santa Barbara | 2 | 85,744 | 88,762 | -0.87% | 4,400 | 19.5 | City |
| Lompoc | 3 | 42,592 | 44,402 | -1.05% | 3,664 | 11.6 | City |
| Eastern Goleta Valley | 4 | 34,490 | 29,823 | 7.69% | 2,080 | 16.6 | CDP |
| Goleta | 5 | 32,632 | 32,764 | -0.1% | 4,156 | 7.9 | City |
| University California-Santa Barbara | 6 | 13,348 | 11,671 | 7.7% | 10,268 | 1.3 | CDP |
| Isla Vista | 7 | 13,326 | 15,733 | -4.98% | 24,185 | 0.6 | CDP |
| Carpinteria | 8 | 12,689 | 13,244 | -1.08% | 4,903 | 2.6 | City |
| Guadalupe | 9 | 8,756 | 8,219 | 1.55% | 6,684 | 1.3 | City |
| Montecito | 10 | 8,456 | 8,210 | -0.44% | 921 | 9.2 | CDP |
| Vandenberg Village | 11 | 6,736 | 7,945 | 0.25% | 1,278 | 5.3 | CDP |
| Solvang | 12 | 5,922 | 6,112 | -0.8% | 2,442 | 2.4 | City |
| Buellton | 13 | 4,933 | 5,160 | -1.14% | 3,118 | 1.6 | City |
| Santa Ynez | 14 | 4,766 | 4,728 | 0.53% | 987 | 4.8 | CDP |
| Vandenberg AFB | 15 | 3,738 | 3,646 | 0.76% | 167 | 22.4 | CDP |
| Mission Canyon | 16 | 2,520 | 2,649 | 0.4% | 1,393 | 1.8 | CDP |
| Toro Canyon | 17 | 1,723 | 1,918 | 0.94% | 184 | 9.4 | CDP |
| Summerland | 18 | 1,245 | 745 | -1.19% | 891 | 1.4 | CDP |
| Los Olivos | 19 | 1,001 | 838 | -0.99% | 382 | 2.6 | CDP |
| Ballard | 20 | 763 | 764 | 2.83% | 273 | 2.8 | CDP |
| New Cuyama | 21 | 694 | 550 | 1.76% | 1,098 | 0.6 | CDP |
| Los Alamos | 22 | 658 | 1,275 | -11.8% | 728 | 0.9 | CDP |
| Casmalia | 23 | 52 | 88 | -10.35% | 310 | 0.2 | CDP |
Note: City markers shown outside the county boundary mean that a part of the city extends into this county, but is primarily located in an adjacent county.
Santa Maria is the largest city in Santa Barbara County.
Casmalia is the smallest city in Santa Barbara County.
There are 23 cities in Santa Barbara County, California.