Santa Barbara County, CA Housing Market Brief
county · CA · score computed October 2026
What is Santa Barbara County, CA’s Alpha Score?
The Alpha Score is a composite 0–100 index of market strength, a weighted blend of five dimensions. See the methodology.
Population band 5 of 5 (population 103,008–9,808,667) · comparable within its band
Where is Santa Barbara County, CA in its market cycle?
Santa Barbara County, CA is classified as Recovering — turning back up after a downturn. This is a classification of recent (1–12 month) momentum, not a price forecast.
What’s the forecast for Santa Barbara County, CA?
County-level forecasts are paused (since Oct 18, 2026). The new public-data model we built to replace them didn't pass our accuracy test, and we won't publish forecasts again until a model does.
Santa Barbara County, CA housing market data
| Metric | Value | YoY | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Sale Price | $1.2M | ▲ +26.2% | Redfin |
| Median Days on Market | 40 days | ▲ +14.3% | Redfin |
| Months of Supply | 3.1 | ▼ -8.8% | Redfin |
| Homes for Sale | 773 | ▼ -2.5% | Redfin |
| Homes Sold | 249 | ▲ +5.5% | Redfin |
| Median Price / Sq Ft | $692 | ▲ +29.2% | Redfin |
How has Santa Barbara County, CA’s Alpha Score moved?
Markets like Santa Barbara County, CA
- Monroe County, FL, FLcounty30
- Clatsop County, OR, ORcounty32
- Albany County, WY, WYcounty39
- Island County, WA, WAcounty29
- Grays Harbor County, WA, WAcounty36
- Skagit County, WA, WAcounty33
- Whatcom County, WA, WAcounty33
- Kitsap County, WA, WAcounty35
- Fairfax County, VA, VAcounty33
- Los Angeles County, CA, CAcounty31
Frequently asked questions
Is Santa Barbara County, CA a buyer's or seller's market?
In the scores computed October 2026, Santa Barbara County, CA is classified as a Buyer's Market, based on its Alpha Score of 34 out of 100. The classification reflects current price, building, affordability, economic, and rental-yield conditions.
Are home prices rising or falling in Santa Barbara County, CA?
The median sale price in Santa Barbara County, CA is $1.2M, having risen 26.2% over the past year, according to Redfin.
How affordable is Santa Barbara County, CA?
Santa Barbara County, CA scores 1 out of 100 on affordability — relatively unaffordable relative to local incomes and prevailing mortgage rates compared with other counties.
What's driving Santa Barbara County, CA's Alpha Score?
Santa Barbara County, CA's strongest dimension is Economic Strength (62/100) and its weakest is Affordability (1/100). The Alpha Score is a weighted blend of all five dimensions.
Want the live, interactive view of Santa Barbara County, CA? Open the full market dashboard — charts, ZIP-level drill-down, and watchlist tracking. Explore the map or read the methodology.