Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California
AkashicSanta Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis ObispoHarrisD+19.6
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
| Kamala Harris ✓Democratic | 58.3% | 195,463 |
|---|---|---|
| Donald TrumpRepublican | 38.7% | 129,802 |
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr.American Independent | 3.0% | 10,216 |
D+60R+60
2 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
County-level results (2 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | Democratic | D+10.9 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | Democratic | D+26.7 |
34 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Other | Margin | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 58.3%Harris195,463 | 38.7%Trump129,802 | 3.0%Kennedy10,216 | 335,481 | ||
| D | 60.4%Biden218,273 | 36.9%Trump133,172 | 2.7%Jorgensen9,701 | 361,146 | ||
| D | 55.1%Clinton174,249 | 35.6%Trump112,529 | 9.3%Johnson29,302 | 316,080 | ||
| D | 53.6%Obama155,387 | 43.0%Romney124,573 | 3.4%Johnson9,891 | 289,851 | ||
| D | 56.3%Obama173,790 | 41.0%McCain126,640 | 2.6%Nader8,132 | 308,562 | ||
| D | 49.9%Kerry149,056 | 48.4%Bush144,801 | 1.7%Badnarik5,054 | 298,911 | ||
| R | 44.7%Gore117,937 | 48.6%Bush128,352 | 6.7%Nader17,571 | 263,860 | ||
| D | 44.2%Clinton111,045 | 44.0%Dole110,648 | 11.8%Perot29,552 | 251,245 | ||
| D | 40.9%Clinton109,351 | 35.1%Bush93,759 | 24.0%Perot64,265 | 267,375 | ||
| R | 43.8%Dukakis99,253 | 54.8%Bush124,137 | 1.3%Paul3,017 | 226,407 | ||
| R | 35.7%Mondale78,189 | 63.1%Reagan138,349 | 1.2%Bergland2,732 | 219,270 | ||
| R | 30.8%Carter61,158 | 54.5%Reagan108,260 | 14.7%Anderson29,104 | 198,522 | ||
| R | 45.9%Carter79,944 | 50.9%Ford88,707 | 3.2%Macbride5,491 | 174,142 | ||
| R | 41.4%McGovern71,388 | 55.4%Nixon95,641 | 3.2%Schmitz5,545 | 172,574 | ||
| R | 40.7%Humphrey53,393 | 52.9%Nixon69,488 | 6.4%Wallace8,420 | 131,301 | ||
| D | 57.1%Johnson70,633 | 42.8%Goldwater52,926 | 0.1%Hass113 | 123,672 | ||
| R | 43.7%Kennedy44,384 | 55.9%Nixon56,667 | 0.4%Byrd406 | 101,457 | ||
| R | 37.2%Stevenson28,332 | 62.3%Eisenhower47,517 | 0.5%Andrews383 | 76,232 | ||
| R | 33.3%Stevenson23,554 | 66.1%Eisenhower46,717 | 0.5%Hallinan363 | 70,634 | ||
| R | 39.5%Truman21,220 | 56.5%Dewey30,323 | 4.0%Thurmond2,161 | 53,704 | ||
| D | 52.4%Roosevelt23,789 | 47.2%Dewey21,440 | 0.4%Thomas164 | 45,393 | ||
| D | 54.1%Roosevelt25,736 | 44.8%Willkie21,311 | 1.2%Thomas551 | 47,598 | ||
| D | 61.1%Roosevelt23,812 | 37.3%Landon14,540 | 1.5%Lemke599 | 38,951 | ||
| D | 60.3%Roosevelt21,306 | 34.8%Hoover12,313 | 4.9%Thomas1,734 | 35,353 | ||
| R | 32.2%Smith8,290 | 66.5%Hoover17,091 | 1.3%Thomas338 | 25,719 | ||
| R | 9.4%Davis1,973 | 58.9%Coolidge12,419 | 31.7%La Follette6,687 | 21,079 | ||
| R | 24.6%Cox4,192 | 65.0%Harding11,093 | 10.4%Debs1,769 | 17,054 | ||
| D | 49.7%Wilson8,737 | 41.6%Hughes7,307 | 8.7%Benson1,524 | 17,568 | ||
| O | 39.6%Wilson5,067 | 0.0%Taft0 | 60.4%Roosevelt7,744 | 12,811 | ||
| R | 34.1%Bryan3,021 | 53.2%Taft4,721 | 12.7%Debs1,130 | 8,872 | ||
| R | 29.3%Parker2,319 | 59.2%Roosevelt4,691 | 11.5%Debs915 | 7,925 | ||
| R | 46.0%Bryan3,312 | 49.4%McKinley3,552 | 4.6%Woolley331 | 7,195 | ||
| D | 50.5%Bryan3,972 | 46.7%McKinley3,675 | 2.8%Palmer223 | 7,870 | ||
| R | 33.3%Cleveland2,427 | 40.0%Harrison2,916 | 26.6%Weaver1,939 | 7,282 |
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −6.7% |
| 1896 | +3.8% |
| 1900 | −3.3% |
| 1904 | −29.9% |
| 1908 | −19.2% |
| 1912 | +39.6% |
| 1916 | +8.1% |
| 1920 | −40.5% |
| 1924 | −49.6% |
| 1928 | −34.2% |
| 1932 | +25.4% |
| 1936 | +23.8% |
| 1940 | +9.3% |
| 1944 | +5.2% |
| 1948 | −17.0% |
| 1952 | −32.8% |
| 1956 | −25.2% |
| 1960 | −12.1% |
| 1964 | +14.3% |
| 1968 | −12.3% |
| 1972 | −14.1% |
| 1976 | −5.0% |
| 1980 | −23.7% |
| 1984 | −27.4% |
| 1988 | −11.0% |
| 1992 | +5.8% |
| 1996 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | −3.9% |
| 2004 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | +15.3% |
| 2012 | +10.6% |
| 2016 | +19.5% |
| 2020 | +23.6% |
| 2024 | +19.6% |
DemocraticRepublican
voter registration
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
DemocraticRepublicanUnaffiliatedOther parties
| Year | Total registered | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 416,406 | 180,335 | 120,540 | 84,586 | 30,945 |
| 2024 | 418,343 | 180,574 | 122,889 | 81,537 | 33,343 |
Source: California Secretary of State
Spanning three Central Coast counties, this media market blends UC Santa Barbara's student electorate with agricultural inland communities, producing countywide margins that routinely diverge from statewide Democratic baselines by 8–12 points depending on the cycle.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 39.6 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 49.6 points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the market moved 4.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 19.6 points.
A population of 725,256, a 50% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $97,883 describe the market. The market's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of San Diego and Austin.
Political twins — media markets
The media markets whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
San Diego
California
89.7twin score
12-yr trend2016–2024 trajectory≠ % Asian
Austin
Texas
88.1twin score
12-yr trend2016–2024 trajectory≠ college share
Monterey-Salinas
California
86.9twin score
2024 marginmedian income% Latino≠ 2000 margin
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California. Akashic. https://akashic.app/dma/855/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Embed this page
A live widget for your site — no API key, attribution built in, CC BY 4.0. All widgets & sizes →
U.S. electionsAll elections →
Places within Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo
Frequently asked questions
How did Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California voted Democratic by 19.6 points (D+19.6), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 335,481 votes cast, 195,463 went Democratic and 129,802 went Republican.
When did Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California voted Republican was 2000.
How many people live in Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California?
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California has a population of 725,256 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California?
Median household income in Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California is $97,883 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California?
Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo, California from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 15 went Democratic and 18 went Republican.