Syrian Population in Santa Barbara County, CA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Syrian population in Santa Barbara County, CA is reported at 464 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Santa Barbara County - including Solvang, Goleta, Santa Maria, and others - contribute to the Syrian population, but the total county figure of 464 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Syrian residents are distributed in California and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Syrian population in Santa Barbara County

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  • 1
    Solvang
    Syrian population in Solvang is 126
    2.09% of Solvang population is Syrian
  • 2
    Goleta
    Syrian population in Goleta is 97
    0.30% of Goleta population is Syrian
  • 3
    Santa Maria
    Syrian population in Santa Maria is 84
    0.08% of Santa Maria population is Syrian
  • 4
    Santa Barbara
    Syrian population in Santa Barbara is 38
    0.04% of Santa Barbara population is Syrian
  • 5
    Carpinteria
    Syrian population in Carpinteria is 23
    0.18% of Carpinteria population is Syrian

Overview of Syrian population in Santa Barbara County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Santa Barbara County with 464 Syrian residents (0.1% of 443,975 total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 96th percentile nationally among counties and 76th percentile within California for Syrian population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Santa Barbara County's Syrian population of 0.1% surpassing both California's state average of 0.082% and the national average of 0.058%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey show Santa Barbara County's 464 Syrian residents constitute 1.4% of California's total Syrian population of 32,023.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey show Santa Barbara County maintains 0.17 Syrian Americans per square mile, marginally below California's state average of 0.21 per square mile, placing the county near state demographic representation levels.
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8 Cities in Santa Barbara County Ranked by Syrian Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Syrian populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Solvang, Goleta, Santa Maria, and Santa Barbara. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 8 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Santa Barbara County, CA ranked by Syrian population count
Rank by Syrian Population
City
Syrian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Santa Barbara County Syrian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Solvang 126 2.09% 27.16%
2 Goleta 97 0.30% 20.91%
3 Santa Maria 84 0.08% 18.10%
4 Santa Barbara 38 0.04% 8.19%
5 Carpinteria 23 0.18% 4.96%
6 Buellton 0 - -
6 Guadalupe 0 - -
6 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Santa Barbara County, CA by their Syrian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Syrian population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Syrian ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Syrian alone, while others identify as Syrian along with another race (such as Syrian and German).
  • We’ve used the “Syrian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Syrian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Syrian alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Syrian .
  2. % of Total Santa Barbara County Syrian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Syrian population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Syrian populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Syrian population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Syrian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.