Edhat Staff
A recent report published by the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) has shed light on the travel behaviors of workers in and around Santa Barbara County.
The findings not only provide valuable insights into the current transportation landscape but also offer valuable information for future planning efforts.
One significant highlight from the report is the surge in remote work, which has increased by over 150% since 2019. This shift towards remote work aligns with community goals of reducing overall vehicle usage and meeting state objectives for climate change mitigation.
For those who don’t work remotely, the report delves into how workers in Santa Barbara County commute to and from their workplaces.
When it comes to commuting between the North County and the South Coast, residents of Buellton have the longest average work commute, covering an average distance of 25.9 miles. Conversely, residents of Santa Barbara enjoy the shortest average work commute, at just 8.9 miles.
Furthermore, the report identifies an interesting trend in the distribution of workers and residents within the county. A majority of individuals who work in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria actually reside within those cities. However, less than 20% of Buellton and Guadalupe residents work in the same city they live in. This pattern also extends to Solvang and Goleta, where commuters often travel from outside the city for work.
The report also reveals that approximately 38,500 residents of Ventura County travel to Santa Barbara County on an average weekday, with around 11,100 of those trips made for work purposes. Additionally, it highlights a preference among central coast drivers to use State Route 154 when traveling southbound, as opposed to continuing on Highway 101.
Beyond transportation, the report touches on housing and demographic trends in the region. It indicates a significant decline of around 40% in available rental housing over the past decade. Meanwhile, there has been a notable increase of 71% in the 60-69 age group over the past two decades, while the adult and child populations in the age groups of 30-49 and 0-9 are decreasing.
SBCAG emphasizes that this report provides reliable and insightful statistics and trends related to transportation, land use, demographics, mobility, the economy, and social equity. The data aims to equip regional decision-makers with a comprehensive understanding of the trends shaping their community, empowering them to make informed decisions.
To compile the report, SBCAG utilized data from the U.S. Census Bureau and a sophisticated travel modeling tool called Replica. By leveraging mobile location data from cell phones and GPS, economic activity data from credit card records, land use data, and demographic data from public and private sources, Replica ensures accuracy without compromising individual privacy.
The report serves as a valuable resource for understanding the travel patterns of workers in Santa Barbara County, providing insights that will guide future transportation planning and decision-making processes.
Thanks for posting this. It’s fascinating data. I read it for a little more context on that 150% increase in remote work from 2019 to 2023. If anyone else is wondering what that means more concretely, it means just of 5% of workers worked remotely in 2019 and just under 14% did in 2023. That is quite a jump.
38,500 residents of Ventura County travel to Santa Barbara County on an average weekday.
I wonder how many of those residents would live in SB if there were more affordable housing.
Hard to say because the report also noted a majority of commuters made 150K or more a year. When surveyed 80% of respondents said they commute because they want to own or rent a single family home with a yard. This was consistent across the board across multiple demographics.
These figures could use clarification; I’ll have to look at the report.
“The report also reveals that approximately 38,500 residents of Ventura County travel to Santa Barbara County on an average weekday, with around 11,100 of those trips made for work purposes.”
So how much carpooling is happening?
What is the purpose of the other 27,000 trips?!
What seems interesting to me is this: “There has been a notable increase of 71% in the 60-69 age group over the past two decades, while the adult and child populations in the age groups of 30-49 and 0-9 are decreasing.”
I am seeing that anecdotally in my condo complex. A lot of people are coming from other parts of the country because they want to retire here and they have the money. It seems like if you build more housing this demographic is who is coming and buying, thus the need for more workers to support them. These are the retired people, typically, so building more housing may bring more of this demographic to Santa Barbara instead of solving the worker housing issue.
My first thought was that we have been known as the town of the newly wed and nearly dead…and we are increasing the nearly dead. My second thought was…60 years old is not far off…
I read this and my first thought was it’s more evidence of the very sluggish (in terms of the number of homes sold) housing market. People who have lived here for a while aren’t selling and they aren’t moving, so a lot of those 60-69 year olds are the 30-49 year olds (the older half) who are just getting older and staying put.
That’s me. Can’t afford to downsize.
Santa Barbara has always been home to the newlywed and nearly dead. But changes in the economy over the last few decades have made it more difficult for the “newlywed” category to afford homes while the nearly dead category hangs on to their paid off homes and buys second homes elsewhere for retirement. Younger generations now have to wait for their parents to die to own a piece a property…or at least split it however many ways with siblings.
Very revealing data and findings. Yes, the population seems to be getting older and retiring here locally. Naturally, this dramatically affects housing inventory and turnover. Workers seem to work remotely or be forced to commute. High speed commuter rail makes sense, reduces traffic congestion and pollution. It works (to a point) in LA with Metrolink. We need rail with Ventura County and North County. Sure makes more sense than the boondoggle LA to Vegas fiasco.
Seems to me thousands of housing units could be built in Buellton, Lompoc, Los Alamos and Guadalupe where workers could live.
Housing IS being built in north county. Local news sources cover such info.
https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/affordable-housing-development-in-guadalupe-is-underway-for-low-income-families
https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/guadalupe-city-council-approves-98-homes-in-pasadera-south-development/article_31d0fbae-50db-5ed4-a211-d991543f3390.html
https://www.noozhawk.com/lompoc_planning_commission_oks_renewed_housing_development_plan_20210923/
This is a very good read:
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/17/nearly-5000-units-of-housing-on-the-fast-track-in-santa-barbara/
“In the North County, there are three projects for a total of 1,108 units. Just west of Lompoc is a 322-unit development across 49 acres, which has been at the center of a land-use battle between the city, the county, and owner Jack Bodger. Bodger, who runs his family seed company John Bodger and Sons Co., has been trying to develop his land for years, and after being kept from Lompoc’s sphere of influence and then denied by Santa Barbara County’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), he is now taking his chances with the builder’s remedy.
In Orcutt, for a plot of land dubbed “Key Site 26,” there is a proposal for 750 units of urban infill housing on 43 acres of open space formerly owned by the Richards family. The applicant, Richards Ranch LLC, is led by Michael Stoltey of MD3 investments in San Luis Obispo. The family sold the land to Walmart in 2006, but since Stotley acquired the property he has been attempting to have the parcels annexed into the city of Santa Maria, originally as a 400-unit mixed-use development, before applying with a much more dense project through the builder’s remedy.
And at Rancho La Laguna, a plot of land deep in the hills of wine country on Foxen Canyon Road, a Hollywood husband and wife are hoping to build 13 farmworker units, 13 single-family dwellings, and 10 multi-family units. The project was submitted by Rancho La Laguna LLC, the company of actress Stephanie Haymes-Roven, of Wonder Woman and Justice League, and her husband, Charles Roven, a producer on movies such as The Dark Knight and American Hustle.