Health Profile of Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County Health Score
The Map AI Health Index is a score that reflects local life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment to help you quickly compare the overall health and well-being of different areas.
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B
Santa Barbara County Around averageHealthier than 70% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | Santa Barbara County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 81.3 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 8.7% | 6.6% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 14.8% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Santa Barbara County is 81.3 years, about 1.7 years longer than the California average of 79.6 years. The uninsured rate is 8.7%, higher than the California average of 6.6%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 14.8% of residents, lower than the California average of 16.4%.
Population by Age
Older residents
140,235 residents in Santa Barbara County are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 10,133 3,639 men · 6,494 women
- 75–84 21,412 9,353 men · 12,059 women
- 65–74 36,797 17,263 men · 19,534 women
- 50–64 71,892 35,737 men · 36,155 women
Younger residents
95,571 residents in Santa Barbara County are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 30,201 15,038 boys · 15,163 girls
- 7–12 27,872 14,465 boys · 13,408 girls
- 3–7 21,215 11,137 boys · 10,078 girls
- 0–3 16,283 8,357 boys · 7,925 girls
About 16,563 residents in Santa Barbara County (3.7% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 81.3 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Santa Barbara County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 9.2% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 5.9% | 6.3% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 5.6% | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 28.9% | 30.6% | 34.3% |
On average, diseases in Santa Barbara County are about the same as in California.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Santa Barbara County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 11.4% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 19.6% | 18.0% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 20.6% | 21.9% | 25.1% |
The rate of smoking in Santa Barbara County is about 18% lower than in California.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 391,536 cigarettes a day, 11.7 million a month, or 142.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.3 million minutes a day and 1.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Santa Barbara County is 81.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.10 lifetimes a day, or 37 lifetimes a year.
* Source: Shaw M, Mitchell R, Dorling D. "Time for a smoke? One cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes." BMJ. 2000;320:53.
Illustrative only. This is not an estimate of how many people actually die from smoking each day or year - it's a rough, order-of-magnitude comparison meant to help grasp the scale of smoking in this area. We take no responsibility for any decisions made based on this figure.
Air Quality
| Metric | Santa Barbara County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 6.54 | 7.63 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 6.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Santa Barbara County is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Santa Barbara County, CA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
Santa Barbara County, CA is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 443,693 residents against a local median of 836,943. The measure that sets Santa Barbara County, CA apart most is uninsured: 8.7%, 18% above the local median of 7.3%. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 2.5% on uninsured, so Santa Barbara County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Santa Barbara County, CA has the 6th lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 443,693 | 81.3 yrs #1/6 | 8.7% #6/6 | 28.9% #2/6 |
| Ventura County, CA | 836,943 | 81.0 yrs | 7.3% | 29.0% |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 281,514 | 80.3 yrs | 5.7% | 27.4% |
| Kern County, CA | 915,060 | 76.7 yrs | 7.8% | 34.8% |
| Kings County, CA | 153,298 | 78.4 yrs | 7.3% | 35.1% |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 9,796,997 | 80.6 yrs | 8.2% | 29.0% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Santa Barbara County, California has an overall health index grade of B, making it somewhat better than California, and somewhat better than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Santa Barbara County, California.
Is Santa Barbara County, California a healthy place to live?
Santa Barbara County, California has a Map AI Health Index grade of B, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a B grade means residents are somewhat healthier than the U.S. average.
Is Santa Barbara County, California one of the healthiest counties in California?
Santa Barbara County ranks 18th healthiest out of 58 counties in California by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in Santa Barbara County, California?
People in Santa Barbara County, California can expect to live 81.3 years on average, 1.7 years longer than the California average of 79.6.
What percentage of Santa Barbara County, California residents are uninsured?
8.7% of residents in Santa Barbara County, California have no health insurance, about 1 in 12 people, 2.1 points above the California rate of 6.6%.
What is the obesity rate in Santa Barbara County, California?
28.9% of adults in Santa Barbara County, California are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 1.7 points below the California rate of 30.6%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Santa Barbara County, California go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 391,536 cigarettes a day, 11.7 million a month, or 142.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 4.3 million minutes a day and 1.6 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Santa Barbara County is 81.3 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.10 lifetimes a day, or 37 lifetimes a year.
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