Auto · County · California
Insurance agencies in Santa Barbara County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for insurance agencies in Santa Barbara County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,450 of 2,272 scored counties
#36 of 53 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 215
- 43 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 143
- −5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $295.1M
- On vehicle insurance · $1,972 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.4
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 442,065
- −1.4% since 2020
See the insurance agencies around any address in Santa Barbara County
The site report maps the insurance agencies on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Santa Barbara County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 215 insurance agencies in Santa Barbara County. 43 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 21% across the U.S. That comes to 14.4 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 15.6.
Household spending on vehicle insurance in Santa Barbara County comes to about $295.1M a year: $1,972 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each agency on map listings, 9% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M.
Official counts show 143 businesses with payroll classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in Santa Barbara County in 2023, down 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,046 households, against one for every 966 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in Santa Barbara County.
Population estimates put the population change in Santa Barbara County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for insurance agencies in Santa Barbara County is 40 (lower middle), #1,450 of 2,272 scored counties and #36 of 53 scored counties in California.
How Santa Barbara County compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle insurance by the insurance agencies counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Santa Barbara County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.4 | 17.2 | 15.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,046 | 973 | 966 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.9% | −4.0% | −1.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle insurance | $1,972 | $1,926 | $1,957 |
| Median household income | $98,161 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 152 → 143−5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 676
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $58M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 21543 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 235The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in Santa Barbara County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Santa Barbara County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 442,065−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 149,608
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 52%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,734 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 162
- Median household income
- $98,161+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,895
- Median home value
- $790,700
- Jobs located here
- 193,212
- Daytime population
- 452,081Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Barbara County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the insurance agencies on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Santa Barbara County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardInsurance agencies across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for insurance agencies, numbered among those based in California, with Santa Barbara County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 87 | 10 | 3.5 | $5.9M | +8.2% | #92 of 2,272 |
| 2Calaveras County, CA | 81 | 13 | 7.1 | $3.3M | +2.8% | #194 of 2,272 |
| 3San Benito County, CA | 73 | 25 | 12.2 | $2M | +8.6% | #393 of 2,272 |
| 4Lake County, CA | 72 | 17 | 6.3 | $3.3M | −0.6% | #407 of 2,272 |
| 5Merced County, CA | 71 | 87 | 10.1 | $2M | +5.1% | #439 of 2,272 |
| 6Yolo County, CA | 69 | 73 | 9.5 | $2M | +3.1% | #502 of 2,272 |
| 7Amador County, CA | 66 | 18 | 11.2 | $1.9M | +3.2% | #590 of 2,272 |
| 8Inyo County, CA | 65 | 5 | 6.2 | $3.1M | −4.4% | #605 of 2,272 |
| 9Colusa County, CA | 65 | 6 | 8.0 | $2.7M | −0.1% | #609 of 2,272 |
| 10Tehama County, CA | 64 | 20 | 8.1 | $2.5M | −1.7% | #643 of 2,272 |
| 36Santa Barbara County, CA | 40 | 215 | 14.4 | $1.4M | −1.4% | #1,450 of 2,272 |
Other business types in Santa Barbara County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many insurance agencies are in Santa Barbara County, CA?
There are 215 insurance agencies on map listings in Santa Barbara County as of September 2026. 43 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count insurance agencies. Official counts show 143 businesses with payroll classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in 2023, down 5.9% from 2019.
How much do households in Santa Barbara County, CA spend on vehicle insurance?
About $295.1M a year, or $1,972 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 215 insurance agencies on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per agency. It is estimated from the incomes of the 149,608 households in Santa Barbara County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Barbara County, CA compare with the U.S. for insurance agencies?
Santa Barbara County has 14.4 insurance agencies per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 15.6. Spending per agency is $1.4M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of insurance agencies to household spending, Santa Barbara County would have about 235, against 215 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,046 households, against one for every 966 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against −1.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Barbara County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Barbara County at 442,065 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 149,608 households. The median household income in Santa Barbara County is $98,161 a year, 22% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.5% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Santa Barbara County scores 40 for insurance agencies (lower middle), #1,450 of 2,272 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Barbara County. It maps the insurance agencies on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for insurance agencies · All 56 business types in Santa Barbara County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Barbara County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Santa Barbara County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.