Moving to
Carpinteria.

All Carpinteria data Compare Carpinteria

13,036people live here $100,658median household income▲ 25% above US $2,377median rent per month▲ 68% above US $1,043,100median home value▲ 214% above US

What it's like to live in Carpinteria

Carpinteria is a small city in California with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Carpinteria deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and a population that has been shrinking.

The good

Higher-than-average incomes
Highly educated workforce
Average class sizes

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Air quality concerns
Shrinking population
High rent burden for renters
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How Carpinteria compares

Median household income

Carpinteria$100,658

California avg$99,122

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Carpinteria$2,377

California avg$2,036

US$1,413

Median home value

Carpinteria$1,043,100

California avg$734,700

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Carpinteria

Based on Carpinteria's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$4,754

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $95,080 a year
64% of Carpinteria renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$208,620

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $104,310
Homes cost 10.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 68% above US

$2,377/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,377 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $1,043,100. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $1,043,100 · 64% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.8% county unemployment

Unemployment in Santa Barbara County is 4.8%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Santa Barbara County (county-wide)

SafetyNear US average

329 violent crimes per 100k

Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.

Property crime 1259/100k · Carpinteria Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

25 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 24.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 16% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

68%

Work from home

16%

Carpool

6.8%

Walk

4.8%

Other

2.3%

Public transit

2.1%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 76°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 47°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 22% above US

44% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 44% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.

Schools

5 public schools inside the boundary

There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Channel Islands National Park (35 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Carpinteria's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,377/mo) equals 28% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (16% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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