City Score: Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

Metro area. The Joy Project City Score for Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA: the condition of its cities from public data and how the church is moving across them, with every source.

The score

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA scores 26 out of 100 on the Joy Project City Score, status Liberty since Oct 2026. Condition 28 (the city from public data, 60%) and Movement 22 (how the church is moving, 40%). How the score is built.

The condition of Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

  • What Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA is up against: 72 out of 100 — Better than 18% of cbsas, down 4 points
  • Where grace is growing: 33 out of 100 — Better than 59% of cbsas
  • Marriage & family: 31 out of 100 — Better than 25% of cbsas, down 12 points
  • Christian liberty: 20 out of 100 — Better than 5% of cbsas, down 3 points

What takes Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA to Revival

  • City Pulse: City Pulse 22 → 40
  • Discipleship: Discipleship 43 → 45
  • Unity: Unity 43 → 45
  • Gathering: Gathering 29 → 45

What affected it

  • This quarter: Children with married parents down 18 percentile points (Marriage & family)
  • This quarter: Drug overdose deaths down 9 percentile points (What Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA is up against)
  • This quarter: Adults 25-44 married down 8 percentile points (Marriage & family)

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA over time

  • — Entered Liberty

Sources

  1. Violent crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer · 2025 · California · fetched Oct 29, 2026
  2. Property crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer · 2025 · California · fetched Oct 29, 2026
  3. Sexually transmitted infections: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  4. Drug overdose deaths: CDC NCHS, provisional county drug overdose deaths (VSRR) · 2025 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  5. Adult entertainment outlets: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 29, 2026
  6. Gambling outlets: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 29, 2026
  7. Cannabis outlets: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 29, 2026
  8. Liquor outlets and bars: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 29, 2026
  9. Predatory lenders: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 29, 2026
  10. Abortion facilities (mapped): OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 29, 2026
  11. Church adherents: 2020 U.S. Religion Census · 2020 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  12. Congregations: 2020 U.S. Religion Census · 2020 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  13. Charitable giving: IRS Statistics of Income, county data · 2023 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  14. Given to local needs in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · 2026-09 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 29, 2026 · verified in Joy
  15. Needs met in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · 2026-09 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 29, 2026 · verified in Joy
  16. Volunteers mobilized in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · 2026-09 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 29, 2026 · verified in Joy
  17. New believers in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · 2026-09 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 29, 2026 · verified in Joy
  18. Searches for a church in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · 2026-09 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 29, 2026 · verified in Joy
  19. Foster and adoptive families in the churches: Church workspace entries (church-attested) · 2026-10 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 29, 2026 · verified in Joy
  20. Children with married parents: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  21. Adults 25-44 married: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  22. Cohabiting households: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA (1 county summed) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  23. Divorces: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · California · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  24. Marriages: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · California · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  25. Births to unmarried mothers: CDC WONDER · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  26. Religious Liberty in the States score: Religious Liberty in the States · 2026 · California · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  27. Safeguards fully in law: Religious Liberty in the States · 2026 · California · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  28. State Religious Freedom Restoration Act: Religious Liberty in the States · 2026 · California · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  29. Anti-Christian hate crimes: FBI Crime Data Explorer · 2025 · California · fetched Oct 29, 2026
  30. School choice: The Liberty register (config/conditions/liberty_laws.yml) · 2026 · California · fetched Oct 29, 2026
  31. Protections for the unborn: The Liberty register (config/conditions/liberty_laws.yml) · 2026 · California · fetched Oct 29, 2026
  32. Homeschool freedom: The Liberty register (config/conditions/liberty_laws.yml) · 2026 · California · fetched Oct 29, 2026

Its cities by status

  • 8 cities in Liberty

Highest City Scores in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

  1. Carpinteria, CA — 35, Liberty
  2. Goleta, CA — 34, Liberty
  3. Montecito, CA — 34, Liberty
  4. Lompoc, CA — 31, Liberty
  5. Santa Maria, CA — 31, Liberty
  6. Santa Barbara, CA — 30, Liberty
  7. Orcutt, CA — 26, Liberty
  8. Solvang, CA — 22, Liberty

Quote it

Cite it as: Joy Project City Score v1.0, Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA, 2026-Q4, joyproject.com/metros/santa-maria-santa-barbara-ca. Methodology.

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